Finite Semiotics: a New Theory of Semiotics with Applications to Information Technology
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FINITE SEMIOTICS: A NEW THEORY OF SEMIOTICS WITH APPLICATIONS TO INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY Cameron Shackell B. Econ., Grad. Dip. Ed., M. Litt. (App. Ling.) Submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Faculty of Science and Engineering Queensland University of Technology 2019 Keywords Attention economy, Automated persuasion, Cognitive externalities, Cognitive rights, Cognitive determination, Cognitive set, Computational semiotics, Finite semiotics, Hyperreality, Informal argument, Metacognition, Natural language processing, Natural semiotic processing, Opposition analysis, Recovery function, Semioformation, Semiosic field, Semiotic valency, Semiotic vector, Semiosic oscillation, Semiotics, Semiotic theory, Technological influencing, Trans-metacognition Finite Semiotics: A New Theory Of Semiotics With Applications To Information Technology i Abstract Semiotics, often defined as the study of signs and sign processes, has not played a central role in the development of information technology. Nor has information technology been much employed to create computational tools for semiotics. This lack of engagement is surprising given that terms such as “global village” and “hyperreality” have their origins in the semiotic tradition; “encoding” and “decoding” are a shared paradigm; information and communication are fundamentally semiotic; and semiotics’ closest relative, linguistics, has helped spawn the field of Natural Language Processing. This research seeks to address this disconnect. It proposes that the arrival of the information age and its attention economy have made obvious a new theoretical possibility: that semiosis can be analysed as a function of the finiteness of human cognition and the allocation of that resource by human artefacts of the type information technology reproduces in abundance. Part One of the thesis comprises three theoretical papers accepted by Semiotica that build the proposition that cognition is finite into a new theory of finite semiotics. The papers introduce and define the theory’s core constructs of the semiosic field, semioformation, cognitive sets, and semiosic oscillation. These constructs are used to re-explore existing semiotic concepts such as hyperreality and opposition in the context of information technology. Part Two of the thesis comprises three papers applying finite semiotics. The first paper explores metacognition and its restructuring by technology. The second paper develops the concept of “cognitive externalities” to address the problem of accountability for systemic effects of human computer interaction. The third paper derives a computational approach to opposition analysis and applies it to a corpus on gun control. The final chapter offers a sketch of a general abductive methodology for application of finite semiotics dubbed transdisciplinary finite semiotic analysis. The thesis concludes by highlighting opportunities for further research using the new methodology in the nascent fields of cognitive and narrative economics, and in computational semiotics, which is seen as highly relevant to contemporary concerns about technogenic influence. ii Finite Semiotics: A New Theory Of Semiotics With Applications To Information Technology Table of Contents Keywords .................................................................................................................................. i Abstract .................................................................................................................................... ii List of Figures ........................................................................................................................ vii List of Tables ............................................................................................................................x List of Abbreviations .............................................................................................................. xi Papers comprising this thesis ................................................................................................. xii Statement of Original Authorship ......................................................................................... xiii Acknowledgements ............................................................................................................... xiv Chapter 1: Introduction ...................................................................................... 1 1.1 Context, motivation and opportunity ..............................................................................1 1.2 Research aims .................................................................................................................4 1.3 Research problem and sub-problems ..............................................................................4 1.4 Research questions..........................................................................................................6 1.5 Research contribution .....................................................................................................7 1.6 Research significance .....................................................................................................8 1.7 Thesis outline ..................................................................................................................9 1.8 Terminology .................................................................................................................10 1.9 Notes on presentation of the papers ..............................................................................10 1.10 An apology for restatement ..........................................................................................11 Chapter 2: Literature and concepts ................................................................. 13 2.1 The origins of semiotics: “signs” that further the body ................................................13 2.2 Semiotics prior to Peirce and Saussure .........................................................................14 2.3 Peirce and Saussure ......................................................................................................15 2.4 Current branches of semiotics ......................................................................................22 2.5 Semiotics and the arrival of the “information age” ......................................................24 2.6 Relevant concepts from information technology ..........................................................29 2.7 Cognition in semiotics and cognitive science ...............................................................31 2.8 The new methodology ..................................................................................................32 2.9 Inspirations ...................................................................................................................33 Part One: Theory ..................................................................................................... 35 Introduction to the theoretical papers ......................................................................................35 Chapter 3: Paper 1: Finite cognition and finite semiosis: a new perspective on semiotics for the information age ............................................. 37 Publication details ...................................................................................................................37 Abstract ...................................................................................................................................37 Finite Semiotics: A New Theory Of Semiotics With Applications To Information Technology iii 3.1 Introduction .................................................................................................................. 37 3.2 A model of semiosis based on the finiteness of cognition ........................................... 38 3.3 Semiosis: a definition from finite cognition ................................................................. 42 3.4 Patterns of semiosis ...................................................................................................... 45 3.5 Semiotic valency .......................................................................................................... 48 3.6 Artefacts ....................................................................................................................... 50 3.7 Applications ................................................................................................................. 50 3.8 Conclusion ................................................................................................................... 53 3.9 References .................................................................................................................... 53 Chapter 4: Paper 2: Finite semiotics: recovery functions, semioformation and the hyperreal ............................................................................ 55 Publication details .................................................................................................................. 55 Abstract .................................................................................................................................. 55 4.1 Introduction .................................................................................................................. 56 4.2 Review of core concepts of finite semiotics ...............................................................