Modelling the Semiosphere on Thermodynamic Open Systems

Semiosis is an irreversible process: meaning-making cannot be “unmade”. Time asymmetry, that is, the irreversibility of processes, is closely tied to the concept of entropy, defined as the way in which the order of a system is measured. The second law of thermodynamics states that there is a universal tendency towards disorder, meaning that entropy, as the index for irreversible change, can be interpreted as The Arrow of Time. Hence, we can affirm that the concepts of order/disorder and time are intrinsically linked. Further, we can understand semiosis as an organisation countering disorder. From that point, I propose a transdisciplinary dialogue on the level of self-description between the semiotics of culture and thermodynamics. Centred around the opposition order/disorder, a complementary synthesising framework is created, displaying how thermodynamics can work with Lotman’s semiosphere. The characterisation of the semiosphere as something pertaining (and yet not reducible) to natural law can offer innovative ways to understand the importance of its dynamic character – the constant motion of semiotic mechanisms, boundary, translation processes, and information generation over time. Thus, this framework is built on the intersecting boundaries between cultural and natural studies, potentially applicable to both fields.