Codes of praxis: How recursivity constitutes human social practices

Area of Science:

• Philosophy of Science
• Cognitive Science
• Biosemiotics

Background:

• Kull (2020) criticized Code Biology's assumptions, potentially subordinating it to Peircean Biosemiotics.
• The critique centers on whether cognition necessitates interpretation-driven decision-making between alternatives.

Purpose of the Study:

• To address and counter Kull's criticism of Code Biology.
• To argue that basic cognitive processes lack mental content and should not be described using mentalist terms.
• To introduce praxeological codes to explain human socio-practical behavior.

Main Methods:

• Examination of Kull's critique of Code Biology.
• Drawing from radical cognitive science and general Code Biology principles.
• Utilizing phenomenological accounts of skill acquisition.
• Introducing the concept of praxeological codes.

Main Results:

• Basic cognitive processes are argued to be devoid of mental content.
• Cognition, even sophisticated forms, can occur without explicit reasoning about alternatives.
• Praxeological codes are proposed to explain the recursivity of practical doings.

Conclusions:

• Code Biology's ontological and epistemological assumptions are defended against Kull's critique.
• Mentalist descriptions of cognition are challenged, proposing a content-free model for basic processes.
• Praxeological codes offer a framework for understanding human socio-practical activity and recursivity.