Individuation and Instantiation

In understanding how meaning evolves over time, we propose the following model:

• Instantiation is the actualisation of meaning potential and agent of individuation.

• Individuation is the cumulative effect of repeated instantiations, whereby the meaning potentials of a given collective meaning potential come to differ from each other in terms of instantiation probabilities.

• The semiotic system is the medium through which instantiation and individuation unfold.

In this framework, meaning potential is continuously reshaped through repeated instantiations, whether these are external texts or internal thoughts. The semiotic system serves as the medium of this process, with no need for a conscious agent actively directing the changes. Instead, individuation unfolds organically as a result of the cumulative effect of instantiations, leading to differentiation in the meaning potentials of individuals.