Arbitrary Signals and Cognitive Complexity

Bibliographic Data

ID8399327
AuthorsRonald J Planer (0000-0003-2947-6574, Australian National University, corresponding author), David Kalkman (Australian National University, corresponding author)
Year2021
Volume72
Issue2
Pages563-586
Publication date2021-06-01
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueThe British Journal for the Philosophy of Science (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0007-0882 • E-ISSN: 1464-3537
PublisherOxford University Press (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1093/bjps/axz018
OpenAlexW2942476146
LanguageEN
Citations received8
References cited21

The arbitrariness of a signal has long been seen as a theoretically important but difficult to pin down notion. In this article, we suggest there are at least two different notions of arbitrariness at play in philosophical and scientific debates concerning the use of arbitrary signals, and work towards improved analyses of both. We then consider how these different types of arbitrariness can co-occur and come apart. Finally, we examine the connections between these two types of arbitrariness and the cognitive complexity of signal users with an eye towards better evaluating one possible form of human-nonhuman communicative continuity. We show that each type of arbitrariness bears its own nuanced relationship to cognitive complexity, demonstrating the theoretical importance of keeping these two notions separate.

Arbitrariness · Causation · Cognition · Cognitive psychology · Cognitive science · Epistemology · SIGNAL (programming language) · Cognitive Science and Education Research · Computer Science · Embodied and Extended Cognition · Language and cultural evolution · Mathematics · Philosophy · Psychology

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