Jon, list, I would tend to agree with your conclusion.
JAS: [It] seems to me that a Quasi-mind can be defined as an *individual *Sign that is also a *complex *of Signs, which are connected such that they are susceptible to determination by *another *Sign to a *single *Interpretant. The additional Sign may be either a *natural *Sign determined directly by a Dynamic Object that the Quasi-mind encounters, or a *genuine *Sign determined by another Quasi-mind (perhaps its *past *self) with which it becomes welded in that Sign. The resulting Interpretant may be a *further *genuine Sign that determines yet another Quasi-mind (perhaps its *future *self). Peirce's characteristic emphasis on continuity is evident here. The flow of Signs within and between Quasi-minds is much like the flow of time itself, which has no *discrete *instants--only *infinitesimal *moments (cf. CP 7.653; 1903). That is why *any *analysis of concrete semiosis must be *arbitrary *to some degree--designating one Sign within a process of Sign-action is like marking one point on a line; in both cases, we are introducing a *discontinuity *into that which is *continuous *in itself. Well analyzed! As I'm now seeing it, the Quasi-mind, a Sign which, as you wrote, is also a complex of Signs, is in itself nothing special--nothing mysterious, and certainly not the perfect sign at all, but something like the prerequisite of all semiosis and communication; that is, * a requirement of semiosis itself when one considers Sign-action in the light of continuity.* Best, Gary R *Gary Richmond* *Philosophy and Critical Thinking* *Communication Studies* *LaGuardia College of the City University of New York* *718 482-5690* On Sun, Feb 25, 2018 at 5:08 PM, Jon Alan Schmidt <[email protected]> wrote: > List: > > Per Gary R.'s suggestion, I set aside the concept of "perfect Sign" for a > little while to focus on the concept of "Quasi-mind." After going back > through the key quotes (https://list.iupui.edu/sympa/ > arc/peirce-l/2018-02/msg00322.html), all of which are from 1906, here is > a revised summary. > > 1. Every Sign is a *determination *of a Quasi-mind, which is something > of the general nature of a Mind. > 1. The Quasi-mind is *itself *a Sign that is susceptible to > determination, but it is not logically necessary that it possess > *consciousness*. > 2. There are no *isolated *Signs, and multiple Signs connected such > that they can have *one *Interpretant are determinations of *one * > Quasi-mind. > 3. The determinations of a Quasi-mind become Immediate > Interpretants of all other Signs whose Dynamic Interpretants are > dynamically connected > 2. Every Sign requires *two *distinct Quasi-minds, a *Quasi-utterer* > and a *Quasi-interpreter*, which may be temporally successive versions > of the *same *Quasi-mind; as well as a *third *Quasi-mind that is > their overlap, the *Commens*. > 1. The essential ingredient of the Quasi-utterer is the (Dynamic) > Object, which determines the Sign *only *in the respect (Immediate > Object) that enables the Sign to act on the Quasi-interpreter as the > Object *itself > *would. > 2. The essential ingredient of the Quasi-interpreter is the > (Dynamic) Interpretant, which the Sign produces as a *singular *event > by determining the Quasi-interpreter to a feeling, to an exertion, > or to another Sign. > 3. The essential ingredient of the Commens is the Sign itself, > which *welds *the Quasi-utterer and Quasi-interpreter into *one > *Quasi-mind > that includes whatever they must *already *share for the Sign to > fulfill its function. > 4. When there is no *actual *Quasi-interpreter, the (Immediate) > Interpretant is the range of *possible *effects that the Sign > *would *produce, if it *were *to determine a Quasi-interpreter. > 5. When there *is *a Quasi-interpreter, the (Dynamic) Interpretant > is a state of activity, mingled with curiosity, that usually leads to > experimentation as the normal logical effect. > 3. In Existential Graphs, the Sheet of Assertion or Phemic Sheet is ... > 1. the *matter *that the Graph-instances are to determine, in which > the Graphist and Interpreter are *at one*. > 2. the *means *by which the Graphist and Interpreter *collaborate *in > composing a Pheme [or Dicisign] and in operating on this so as to > develop a > Delome [or Argument]. > 3. a Diagram of the logical Quasi-mind that is determined by all of > the Signs represented on it. > 4. a Diagram of the logical Universe and a Seme [or Rheme] of *the > Truth*, the widest Universe of Reality. > 5. a Pheme [or Dicisign] of the Commens, all that is tacitly taken > for granted between the Graphist and Interpreter from the outset of > their > discussion. > > Based on all of this, it seems to me that a Quasi-mind can be defined as > an *individual *Sign that is also a *complex *of Signs, which are > connected such that they are susceptible to determination by *another *Sign > to a *single *Interpretant. The additional Sign may be either a *natural *Sign > determined directly by a Dynamic Object that the Quasi-mind encounters, or > a *genuine *Sign determined by another Quasi-mind (perhaps its *past *self) > with which it becomes welded in that Sign. The resulting Interpretant > may be a *further *genuine Sign that determines yet another Quasi-mind > (perhaps its *future *self). > > Peirce's characteristic emphasis on continuity is evident here. The flow > of Signs within and between Quasi-minds is much like the flow of time > itself, which has no *discrete *instants--only *infinitesimal *moments > (cf. CP 7.653; 1903). That is why *any *analysis of concrete semiosis > must be *arbitrary *to some degree--designating one Sign within a process > of Sign-action is like marking one point on a line; in both cases, we are > introducing a *discontinuity *into that which is *continuous *in itself. > > Regards, > > Jon Alan Schmidt - Olathe, Kansas, USA > Professional Engineer, Amateur Philosopher, Lutheran Layman > www.LinkedIn.com/in/JonAlanSchmidt - twitter.com/JonAlanSchmidt > > > ----------------------------- > PEIRCE-L subscribers: Click on "Reply List" or "Reply All" to REPLY ON > PEIRCE-L to this message. PEIRCE-L posts should go to > [email protected] . To UNSUBSCRIBE, send a message not to PEIRCE-L > but to [email protected] with the line "UNSubscribe PEIRCE-L" in the > BODY of the message. More at http://www.cspeirce.com/peirce-l/peirce-l.htm > . > > > > > >
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