SUO: Peirce and thirdness
We start with:
f(a,b) = c
where:
a = firstness, a quality, a stimulus (draws attention as a potential
'something')
b = secondness, response (we paint the stimulus using
aesthetics/ethics/logic)
f = thirdness as mediation (and so a function)
c = thirdness as representation (expressed in the form of a symbol that
works like the original stimulus, and as a habit that allows for response to
stimulus/symbol and 'like' stimuli (and so the generality of thirdness). The
symbol/habit process leads to oscillations of the f()=c process in that the
symbol/habit of c feed into the a,b of f(a,b) and so reflects the
encapsulation of dynamic/static processes within the concept of thirdness
which reflects the encapsulation of stimulus/response - all gets into
self-referencing and so the recursion of dichotomies to derive sets of
qualities to be used to give 'meaning'.
Note that in the use of recursion in our brain to derive qualities TWO forms
of representation emerge - the first is a sequence that reflects qualities
of MAGNITUDE - scalars. The second is derived from the first by turning the
first sequence on its head - you end-up with a sequence of qualities that
now reflect magnitude + DIRECTION - vectors. This gets into
formal/dialectical logic issues - see
http://pages.prodigy.net/lofting/logic.html
Self-referencing is part of the f(a,b)=c where you feedback the output
elements of c (symbol/habit aka stimulus/response) into a,b.
note that you have (in general):
a - static
b - dynamic
f - dynamic
c - static
a and b are 'mindless', f and c are 'mindful'.
'a' comes out of the 'void' in that it is a POTENTIAL particular focused
upon and so extracted from thirdness; the moment you focus you put in
energy, you give something 'life' at least as a potential. As such a = A and
thirdness = NOT-A. The processes of b and f work on the SPECIFICS of a and
result in the symbolisation of, and habituation to, a expressed as c. These
symbols and habits are part of NOT-A in that they are REPRESENTATIONS rather
than the thing itself.
That said, these symbols and habits can become 'a' and be processed
themselves either as symbols of symbols or as refinements of the
'originals'.
The brain does this process through the recruitment and abstraction of
existing 'basic' qualities into more complex qualities - e.g. firstness,
secondness, thirdness can be applied to themselves as sources of analogy to
describe detailed qualities WITHIN each quality. Thus you have firstness OF
firstness as well as firstness IN firstness. These analogies can then be
asserted as unique qualities themselves which are recruitable and
abstractable to a larger set of qualities.
The neurocognitive roots of the categories are reflected in the following
processes:
(1) we live 'mindlessly' in the everyday
(2) something, or more so a potential something, a difference, in the
everyday attracts attention
(3) we isolate that something
(4) we zoom-in on that something, process it, 'paint it' with meanings of
beautiful/ugly, good/bad, right/wrong
(5) we incorporate it, we internalise it, in the form of symbol and habit.
(6) we 'forget' it in that once habituated it is no longer 'different' and
we as a species habituate to sameness and so let the habit 'deal' with the
stimulus in the future.
(7) (4) fails in that our habitual response discovers a 'difference' and so
we have to modify the symbol/habit; we thus 'loop' in the
mediation/representation elements of thirdness using self-referencing to
gain more details and so discover more differences, making finer
distinctions. Thus 'third' is not necessarily 'the end', the internalisation
process allows for a continuing dynamic of refinements 'within'.
Chris.
------------------
Chris Lofting
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