The Enactive Paradigm and Scybernethics: Towards a Second-Order Scientific Revolution

°°°°~x§x-<@> Introduction The enactive paradigm of cognition represents a significant shift in our understanding of how organisms interact with and make sense of their world. This blog post explores the key epistemological characteristics of enactivism and introduces scybernethics as a valuable extension of this framework, highlighting the methodological consequences that point towards a scientific revolution …

A Number That a Man May Know and a Man That May Know a Number

°°°°~x§x-<@> Introduction Warren McCulloch‘s seminal 1961 essay, “What is a Number, that a Man May Know It, and a Man that He May Know a Number?“, laid the groundwork for what would later be recognized as second-order cybernetics[1]. This profound question continues to resonate within the fields of cognitive science, cybernetics, and philosophy of mind. …

Scybernethics and Second-Order Rationality: Transcending the Natural Attitude

°°°°~x§x-<@> Introduction In the evolving landscape of cognitive science, Christophe Rigon’s concept of “second-order rationality” within the framework of scybernethics offers a fresh perspective on cognition and its relationship to the world. This article explores how Rigon’s second-order rationality differs from traditional first-order rationality, while integrating the three key paradigms of cognitive science: cognitivism, connectionism, …

Scybernethics: Bridging First and Third-Person Perspectives in Cognitive Science

°°°°~x§x-<@> Lived experience is where we start from and where we all must link back to, like a guiding thread – Varela, 1999. A Dynamic, Iterative, and Self-reflexive Methodology The scybernethics framework offers a unique approach to addressing the epistemological challenges of integrating first-person phenomenological perspectives (1PP) with third-person Cartesian viewpoints (3PP). It does this …

Overview of the Scybernethics Framework

°°°°~x§x-<@> This document synthesizes some core concepts, methodologies, and critiques central to Scybernethics, a framework developed by Christophe Rigon (also known as Soto²). Scybernethics is presented as a personal and philosophical journey that explores cognition, technology, and the nature of understanding itself, integrating elements of cybernetics, enaction, phenomenology, and critical philosophy. It seeks a “second-order …

Whence perceptual meaning? A cartography of current ideas – Varela F. J. (1991)

Varela F. J. (1991) Whence perceptual meaning? A cartography of current ideas. In: Varela F. J. & Dupuy J. P. (eds.) Understanding origins: Contemporary ideas on the origin of life, mind and society. Kluwer, Boston: 235–263. Available at https://cepa.info/2074 (free inscription, excellent knowledge base about enaction and alternative approaches to cognition). Also published as a …