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The Catalyzing Mind pp 111–121Cite as

Catalysis and Scaffolding in Semiosis

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Part of the book series: Annals of Theoretical Psychology ((AOTP,volume 11))

Abstract

We analyze the concepts of semiotic catalysis (or semiocatalysis) and semiotic scaffolding (or semioscaffolding) in the framework of general semiotics. Semiotic catalysis (as different from chemical catalysis) concerns the qualitative aspects of catalysis. In this sense, signs are catalysts for sign processes or semiosis. Life is catalytically closed namely in the sense of semiotic catalysis. Semiosis produces scaffolding which is the way to keep and canalize communicational processes. Catalytic and scaffolding functions of signs have an important role in semiotic dynamics.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    Cf. the concept of enablement in Kauffman 2012.

  2. 2.

    Jaan Valsiner’s letter to the author from Dec. 30, 2012. See also Valsiner 2005.

  3. 3.

    Note that what has usually been called “iconic” in the earlier cultural semiotic discourse is “emonic” according to the terminology used here.

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Acknowledgements

I thank Jesper Hoffmeyer and Aleksei Sharov for their good comments. This work is related to the project IUT2-44 (Semiotic modelling of self-description mechanisms: Theory and applications), and the Centre of Excellence in Cultural Theory (supported by the European Union through the European Regional Development Fund).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Semiotics, University of Tartu, Jakobi St. 2, 51014, Tartu, Estonia

    Kalevi Kull

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  1. Kalevi Kull
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Correspondence to Kalevi Kull .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Clark University Department of Psychology, Worcester, Massachusetts, USA

    Kenneth R. Cabell

  2. Niels Bohr Professorship Centre of Cultural Psychology, Aalborg Universitet, Aalborg, Denmark

    Jaan Valsiner

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Kull, K. (2014). Catalysis and Scaffolding in Semiosis. In: Cabell, K., Valsiner, J. (eds) The Catalyzing Mind. Annals of Theoretical Psychology, vol 11. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-8821-7_6

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