Naslov
The Co-Evolution of Codification and Mind

Autori
Simone Maria Uebelhart

Vrsta, podvrsta i kategorija rada
Ocjenski radovi, diplomski rad, preddiplomski

Fakultet
Faculty of Humanities

Mjesto
Beč

Datum
30.03

Godina
2010

Stranica
95

Mentor
Radman, Zdravko

Ključne riječi
mind; cognition; codification; symbols; embodiment; enworldment; Vilém Flusser

Sažetak
The Philosopher and Media-theorist Vilém Flusser outlined a theory of the evolution of the human mind, correlating it to the development of codification. He historicizes mind to the extent in which interdependent relations between structures of information and structure of mind can be found. By doing so he comes to a division in several stages, starting at the immediate Lebenswelt , which contains no information and and is devoid of the conscious mind. The second stage is the production of the first mnemonics ; three-dimensional things like stones, wood etc. By informing them they cease to be just what they are in direct experience, and become carriers of information. According to Flusser, by treating something as an object, thus attributing information to it, we open a cleft between ourselves and the immediate Lebenswelt. Objectification in this sense is what alienates us from direct experience. On the other hand objectification is the condition of possibility of subject generation, for as long as there are no objects, there cannot be any subjects either. Further alienation, according to Flusser, is unavoidable, due to the paradox, that every attempt to close the gap between subject and world is augmenting the level of abstraction. Change of information structure goes hand in hand with change of mind structure ; abstract thinking becomes possible. The third stage is the world of imagination whose beginnings are to set at the time when humans started to paint. Cave paintings are another type of storage, manipulation and transmission of information at another level of abstraction. They are instructions on how to cope with the objective world. At the same time they have a peculiar structure, which again affects the structure of mind. Utilization of objects affect the mind, and make it perceive more and more meanings in the form of objects (e.g. the generation of paintings facilitates perception of the world as scenic).

Izvorni jezik
Engleski

Znanstvena područja
Filozofija

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