BCSSS

International Encyclopedia of Systems and Cybernetics

2nd Edition, as published by Charles François 2004 Presented by the Bertalanffy Center for the Study of Systems Science Vienna for public access.

About

The International Encyclopedia of Systems and Cybernetics was first edited and published by the system scientist Charles François in 1997. The online version that is provided here was based on the 2nd edition in 2004. It was uploaded and gifted to the center by ASC president Michael Lissack in 2019; the BCSSS purchased the rights for the re-publication of this volume in 200?. In 2018, the original editor expressed his wish to pass on the stewardship over the maintenance and further development of the encyclopedia to the Bertalanffy Center. In the future, the BCSSS seeks to further develop the encyclopedia by open collaboration within the systems sciences. Until the center has found and been able to implement an adequate technical solution for this, the static website is made accessible for the benefit of public scholarship and education.

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W Y Z

SEMANTIC REACTION 3)4)5)

← Back

"The psycho-logical reaction of a given individual to words and language and other symbols and events in connection with their meanings, and the psycho-logical reactions which become meanings and relational configurations the moment the given individual begins to analyse them or somebody else does that for him" (A. KORZYBSKI, 1950, p.24).

Let us observe that the author writes "psycho-Iogical", with hyphen, to emphasize the existence of both aspects in psychological attitudes. Semantic reactions are related both with the emotional and the mental levels in the nervous system, with a natural dominance of the former one.

KORZYBSKI comments: "It is of great importance to realize that the term "semantic" is non-elementalistic, as it involves conjointly the "emotional" as well as the "intellectual" factors". and… "The term semantic reaction will be used as covering both semantic reflexes and states" (p.25).

The basic point about semantic reactions is that meanings are never totally objective and absolute. They depend on the specific organizational psycho-logical closure, as well as of the cultural environment of the individual.

The Cross for example is a symbol revered by Christians, but may evoque negative reactions from a Muslim and no definite reaction at all from heathen who never heard about Jesus. Moreover, these reactions are automatic, not submitted to any voluntary control.

Semantic reactions can be very dangerous from the psychopathological viewpoint. KORZYBSKI proposed a whole psychotherapy based on the reeducation of semantic reactions in his work "Science and Sanity". Unawareness of semantic reactions also implies a great potential sociocultural risk, since they can easily be manipulated by ideologues, agitators and schemers.

Categories

  • 1) General information
  • 2) Methodology or model
  • 3) Epistemology, ontology and semantics
  • 4) Human sciences
  • 5) Discipline oriented

Publisher

Bertalanffy Center for the Study of Systems Science(2020).

To cite this page, please use the following information:

Bertalanffy Center for the Study of Systems Science (2020). Title of the entry. In Charles François (Ed.), International Encyclopedia of Systems and Cybernetics (2). Retrieved from www.systemspedia.org/[full/url]

We thank the following partners for making the open access of this volume possible:

© 2020 BCSSS Contact/Imprint