{"id":7026,"date":"2023-12-20T08:00:00","date_gmt":"2023-12-20T08:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.raziemah.com\/blog\/?p=7026"},"modified":"2023-11-18T14:55:52","modified_gmt":"2023-11-18T14:55:52","slug":"looking-at-daniel-dennetts-book-2017-from-bacteria-to-bach-and-back-part-4-of-20","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.raziemah.com\/blog\/?p=7026","title":{"rendered":"Looking at Daniel Dennett’s Book (2017) “From Bacteria To Bach and Back” (Part 4 of 20)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

0027 What about the other way around?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What if the specifying sign-relation<\/em> is analogous to Darwin’s paradigm?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Well, let me just transfer the sign-labels<\/em> from one to the other.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

0028 Gibson’s term, “affordance”1b<\/sub>, replaces “niche”1b<\/sub>, as the potential of the specifying actuality2a<\/sub><\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To me, “affordance”1b<\/sub> suggests an immediate potential,<\/em> which I associate to a proximate niche<\/em>.  An affordance<\/em> is like money in one’s pocket.  That is always good and should be sought after.  An affordance<\/em> is like owing someone who wants to be paid.  That is always bad and should be avoided.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

0029 So, what are biologists doing when they “reverse engineer” an apparent adaptation in order to explain it?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They start with something like a specifying sign-object2b<\/sub><\/em> and end up with something like a specifying sign-vehicle2a<\/sub><\/em>.  They reverse engineer something that is analogous to a specifying sign<\/em>.  A specifying sign-interpretant<\/em> (natural selection3b<\/sub>and affordance1b<\/sub>) designs a sign-object<\/em> (an adaptation2b<\/sub>) in regards to a sign-vehicle<\/em> (an actuality independent of the adapting species2a<\/sub>).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The result?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

An actuality independent of the adapting species2a<\/sub><\/em> (SVs<\/sub>) stands for an adaptation2b<\/sub><\/em> (SOs<\/sub>) in regards to natural selection3b<\/sub> operating on an afforance1b<\/sub><\/em> (SIs<\/sub>).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

0030 If Darwin’s paradigm is like a specifying sign,<\/em> then biologists work from something like a sign-object<\/em> towards something like a sign-vehicle<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

0031 The term, “design”, is a point of contention.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Replace the word, “adaptation2b<\/sub>” with the term, “designed product2b<\/sub>“.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For an engineer, the normal context is design3b<\/sub>.  Aristotle’s causes are material, instrumental, final and formal.  Design is a formal cause.  Note how all four of Aristotle’s causes come into play in the following figure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

For a biologist, the normal context is natural selection3b<\/sub>, the actuality is an adaptation2b<\/sub> and the potential is labeled “niche”1b<\/sub>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For a philosopher or an engineer, the normal context is design3b<\/sub>, the actuality is a developed product2b<\/sub>, and the potential is labeled “afforadance”1b<\/sub>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

0032 In the final chapter of Dennett’s book, the author asks the question, “When will experts start using natural selection3b<\/sub> as one of their tools for designing3b<\/sub> in their various enterprises?”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What a wonderful question.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I think the answer has something to do with arrangements for payment1b<\/sub>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Exactly who<\/em> are engineers working for?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

God or mammon?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

0027 What about the other way around? What if the specifying sign-relation is analogous to Darwin’s paradigm? Well, let me just transfer the sign-labels from one to the other. 0028 Gibson’s term, “affordance”1b, replaces “niche”1b, as the potential of the specifying actuality2a. To me, “affordance”1b suggests an immediate potential, which I associate to a proximate niche.  An affordance is like money in one’s pocket.  That is always good […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[417,426,419],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7026","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-book-review","category-mystery-of-evolution","category-scholastic-interscope-for-the-way-humans-think"],"yoast_head":"\nLooking at Daniel Dennett's Book (2017) "From Bacteria To Bach and Back" (Part 4 of 20) - An Archaeology of the Fall<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.raziemah.com\/blog\/?p=7026\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Looking at Daniel Dennett's Book (2017) "From Bacteria To Bach and Back" (Part 4 of 20) - An Archaeology of the Fall\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"0027 What about the other way around? What if the specifying sign-relation is analogous to Darwin’s paradigm? Well, let me just transfer the sign-labels from one to the other. 0028 Gibson’s term, “affordance”1b, replaces “niche”1b, as the potential of the specifying actuality2a. 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