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Origins of Mind pp 327–339Cite as

Mnemo-psychography: The Origin of Mind and the Problem of Biological Memory Storage

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Part of the book series: Biosemiotics ((BSEM,volume 8))

Abstract

The internal logic of a semiotic view of life suggests memory is the origin of mind. Interpreting the meaning of “sign” by way of Charles S. Peirce, the object of this chapter is to provide a response to the biosemiotic problem of the origin of mind in respect to both its general and specific formulations, i.e., as evolutionary emergence and as human environmental experience. As such, I hope for this chapter to express the biosemiotic view of mind and function heuristically for future research regarding memory and mind. “Mnemo-psychography” means that the mind writes itself out of memory. In regard to biosemiotics, the thesis of mnemo-psychography suggests that the mind originates out of interaction between the environment and the biological capacity for memory. By providing a biosemiotic reading of the results of contemporary memory research, specifically the work of Eric Kandel, Daniel Schacter, and Miguel Nicolelis et al., I argue for the thesis of mnemo-psychography, over a biosemiotic version of identity theory, as the solution to the problem of the origin of mind.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    Elsewhere, I discuss the topic of the relation between mnemo-psychography and the mind-body problem. Here, I am concerned to provide mnemo-psychography as a biosemiotic solution to the origin of mind problem.

  2. 2.

    I would like to thank Dr. Bernard Baars, Dr. Patrick Reider, and Dr. Stephanie Swales for their helpful comments. And, I would like to especially thank Dr. Liz Stillwaggon Swan for her patience, dedication, and helpful comments.

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  1. The Chicago School of Professional Psychology, Chicago, USA

    Frank Scalambrino Ph.D

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  1. Frank Scalambrino Ph.D
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Correspondence to Frank Scalambrino Ph.D .

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  1. Sunset Street 424, Longmont, 80501, Colorado, USA

    Liz Swan

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Scalambrino, F. (2013). Mnemo-psychography: The Origin of Mind and the Problem of Biological Memory Storage. In: Swan, L. (eds) Origins of Mind. Biosemiotics, vol 8. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-5419-5_17

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