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Qualitative and Quantitative Examples of Natural and Artificial Phenomena

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Abstract

The dichotomy between the qualitative and the quantitative has been a classic throughout the history of science. As will be seen, this dichotomy permeates all ontological levels of reality. In this work, phenomenological examples potentially related to semiosis are presented at the different levels established by Mario Bunge and Josep Ferrater Mora, contrasting the qualitative categorizations with the quantifiable physical reality. Likewise, the need to continue in the quantification of the biosemiotic and linguistic studies will be presented, while, in contrast, the need to establish a qualitative framework in the little-addressed study of technosemiotics will be raised, of potential interest given the notable advances that are expected in communication systems for inert artifacts in the next years. In short, in the thesis defended here the qualitative precedes the quantitative in the defining path of science.

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Acknowledgements

Thanks to Alfons Barceló and Ramon Ferrer-i-Cancho for the discussions that have largely led to the philosophical reflections contained here, and to L'udmila Lacková for her valuable comments on the draft of the article.

Funding

This work has been funded by the project PRO2021-S03 HERNANDEZ of Institut d’Estudis Catalans. AHF is also funded by the grant TIN2017-89244-R from Ministerio de Economía, Industria y Competitividad (Gobierno de España) and the recognition 2017 SGR-856 (MACDA) from AGAUR (Generalitat de Catalunya).

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  1. LARCA Research Group, Complexity and Quantitative Linguistics Lab., Institut de Ciències de l’Educació, Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, Carrer Jordi Girona 1-3, 08034, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain

    Antoni Hernández-Fernández

  2. Societat Catalana de Tecnologia, Secció de Ciències i Tecnologia, Institut d’Estudis Catalans, Carrer del Carme 47, 08001, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain

    Antoni Hernández-Fernández

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Hernández-Fernández, A. Qualitative and Quantitative Examples of Natural and Artificial Phenomena. Biosemiotics 14, 377–390 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12304-021-09423-1

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