Re: Rosen and the Laws of Form

[Tim Gwinn <***>]

Steve,

 

There is no specific reference by Rosen to Spencer-Brown or Laws of Form that I am aware of. As I warn at the top of that resources page:

"The links below represent a broad range of ideas. Not all are specifically related to Rosen, and some actually present ideas contrary to Rosennean concepts."

I included it in the list primarily because it represents a unique and different formalism that could possibly be utilized for, or inspiring for, modeling. I also have read that Varela used that calculus in his work, but I haven't seen it for myself, so I can't really comment on it either. (I'm trying to get a copy of Principles of Biological Autonomy via inter-library loan.)

 

For myself, I found Laws of Form interesting. I thought it interesting that S-B's logic begins by making a "first distinction". This struck me as interestingly similar to the self/other and system/environment dualisms that Rosen considered in Life Itself as fundamental and necessary for science to proceed. I recall S-B had some comments about time, but its been some time since I read the book.

 

Hmm, maybe relating those remarks on time to Rosen's could make for an interesting paper for Judith's first BioTheory issue regarding time?

 

Regards,

Tim

 

-----Original Message-----
From: ROSEN Forum [mailto:***On Behalf Of Steve Johnson
Sent: Sunday, August 29, 2004 8:48 PM
To: ***
Subject: Rosen and the Laws of Form

 

I notice that G. Spencer Brown's Laws of Form is listed on the panmere Rosen site. Did RR ever comment on Laws of Form?

 

I do not claim to understand Laws of Form's philosophical aspects but one connection I could think of is Spencer Brown's claim that Time emerges in his purely formal world (based only on the concept of distiniction) via construction of self-referential statement.

 

I heard that Varela used Laws of Form calculus in something related Autopoesis but I do not know enough about that to comment.

 

- Steve

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