The Tension A <-> non-A in the Meaning-Making of a Chemical Element in a Sociogenetic Level

Abstract

The meaning construction of “A” implies also the construction of a “non-A.” The tension A <-> non-A represents the process by which meanings acquire possible levels of stability. In this sense, Valsiner (in this volume) argues that how it is possible to arrive in abstractive concepts in science analyzing how people construct new meanings from concrete actions. According to this approach, culture becomes a meta-concept in human science giving space for various theoretical perspectives that are at the level of abstraction of other basic sciences. In Chemistry, many theoretical models were proposed to understand matter and its behavior. This process, through history, can be understood by the model A <-> non-A tension discussed by Valsiner in the Cultural Psychology of Dynamic Semiosis (CPDS) field. Thus, the production of scientific model can be explained by the dynamic of meaning-making in a sociogenetic level, in which opposite meanings emerge and coexist in tension. To illustrate this idea, we intent to provide support to understanding and modeling human semiosis aiming to comprehend how the scientific concept of chemical element acquires an abstract level in tension with concrete views in some periods of history of science.