Up to this point, we have explored evolution as the historical transformation of structured potential: genotypes as theories, phenotypes as individuated instances, and populations as fields of collective potential.
Semiotic systems introduce a new stratum to this logic. They do not break the relational architecture; they deepen it. In semiotic systems, structured potential becomes internally accessible as phenomenon — meaning systems can not only produce instances but also construe, evaluate, and transform their own possibilities.
Structured Potential in Semiotic Systems
In biological systems, potential is realised externally through survival, reproduction, and developmental pathways. Semiotic systems, by contrast, allow the system to represent and manipulate its own potential:
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An utterance, a text, or a symbolic act is an actualisation of potential.
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The meaning system can observe, constrain, and modify what could be instantiated.
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Reflexivity emerges: the potential is no longer invisible to the system itself.
This is not a rupture of ontology; it is a stratificational deepening: the same relational logic applies, but the mode of structured potential changes qualitatively.
Instances and Internal Normativity
Semiotic instances are actualisations of potential within a normative field:
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Instances are evaluated against internal constraints, not just environmental viability.
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Error is possible: an instance may fail relative to the system’s norms.
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Normativity is relational: the system differentiates what counts as valid or coherent internally, not merely what survives externally.
Thus, semiotic systems introduce internal differentiation that biological systems do not inherently possess.
Illustrative Examples
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Language: Sentences actualise the potential of grammar; they can succeed or fail relative to norms of meaning and comprehension.
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Science: A hypothesis or theory is an actualisation of conceptual potential; peer evaluation tests it against the internal constraints of the discipline.
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Technology: Tool design actualises possibilities constrained by material and conceptual systems, and can be iteratively refined within the system of practice.
Each instance demonstrates that structured potential has become reflexively accessible: the system can “see” its own possibilities and act on them.
Implications for Evolution and Individuation
The deepening of relational logic has profound consequences:
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Reflexive Evolution: Semiotic systems can influence the conditions of future actualisations — both within the system and in its environment.
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Cross-Stratal Interaction: Symbolic action reshapes biological, ecological, and social fields.
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Internal Normativity and Error: Systems now differentiate between what is possible and what is valid, creating historically mediated dynamics.
Semiotic systems are not a new ontology, but they amplify the degrees of freedom of individuation and structured potential.
Transition to Post 2
In the next post, we will explore individuation in meaning systems, focusing on error, normativity, and internal evaluation. Semiotic systems are not merely extensions of biology; they are fields where potential is actively construed, and where failure and success acquire internal meaning.
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