SEMIOTICS AND INTERLEVEL CAUSALITY IN BIOLOGY

In this work we try to show that biological processes belong to a special kind intermediate between the pure physical diadic relations and the pure symbolic triadic ones. In order to do that we will review the ideas of causality and emergence and point out the hierarchical nature of biological systems. Then we present our idea about symbolic causality and we distinguish between two hind of basic symbol systems: self-referential and universally referential. In this sense we show how the interaction of both kinds together gives rise to the idea of functional causality. We finish with some comments about the problems for modelling this kind of semiotic but causal relation.