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International Studies in Phenomenology and Philosophy

Book | Chapter

178651

Immune self and non-sense

John McKellar Stewart

pp. 105-122

Abstract

This chapter presents two rival paradigms in immunology, a field where the theme "Sense and Non-sense" has particular relevance. According to classical immunology, the immune system can potentially perceive everything; and it triggers the destruction of everything that it actually perceives. Consequently, in order to avoid self-destruction, this sort of immune system perceives everything except its own body. The alterna- tive paradigm is based on autopoiesis: What we see — Is not what we see - But what we are. This chapter presents computer simulations based on a mathematical model of an idiotypic network, which involves morpho- genesis in shape-space. The choice between these two paradigms involves value-judgments; this reflexively poses the theme of sense-making at a higher-level of abstraction.

Publication details

Published in:

Cappuccio Massimiliano, Froese Tom (2014) Enactive cognition at the edge of sense-making: making sense of non-sense. Dordrecht, Springer.

Pages: 105-122

DOI: 10.1057/9781137363367_5

Full citation:

Stewart John McKellar (2014) „Immune self and non-sense“, In: M. Cappuccio & T. Froese (eds.), Enactive cognition at the edge of sense-making, Dordrecht, Springer, 105–122.