FROM 2ND-ORDER CYBERNETICS TO CYBERSEMIOTICS - A SEMIOTIC REENTRY INTO THE 2ND-ORDER CYBERNETICS OF VONFOERSTER,HEINZ

This article praises the development of second-order cybernetics by vo n Foerster, Maturana and Varela as an important step in deepening our understanding of the biopsychological foundation of the dynamics of co gnition and communication. Luhmann's development of the-theory into th e realm of social communication is seen as a necessary and important m ove. The differentiation between biological, psychological and social- communicative autopoiesis and the introduction of a technical concept of meaning is central. Furthermore, Varela's development-of Spencer Br own's 'Laws of Form' from a dual to a triadic categorical basic struct ure is considered vital. Finally the paper shows that second-order cyb ernetics lacks explicit and ontological concepts of emotion, meaning a nd a concept of signs. C.S. Peirce's theory is introduced for this pur pose. It is then shown that both theories are triadic and second order , and therefore can be fruitfully fused to a cybersemiotics.