Co-instantiating Reality: Meaning in Dialogue

Individuation has shown us how different individuals and collectives come to construe distinct realities, shaping their reality potentials. But what happens when these individuated potentials come into relation? How do people with different meanings and understandings interact and share their worlds? The answer lies in co-instantiation.

Co-instantiation: Bringing Realities into Relation

Co-instantiation is the process by which individuated reality potentials are brought together through semiotic interaction—particularly in dialogue and social exchange. In these moments of interaction, individuals do not simply present their realities as static facts; rather, they co-create new meanings, often through negotiation, projection, and mutual influence.

At the heart of this is projection. As we’ve discussed, projection is the relation between orders of reality: first-order (phenomena) and second-order (metaphenomena). Through projection, individuals bring their distinct realities into relation by sharing their construals of meaning. Projection enables individuals to project their respective realities (perceptual, emotional, cognitive, etc.) into shared spaces of interaction.

However, co-instantiation goes beyond simple projection. It is the interaction between individuated realities, facilitated through verbal processes (e.g., conversation) and other semiotic exchanges.

Mechanisms of Co-instantiation

Co-instantiation is especially visible in verbal interaction—dialogue—where individuals exchange propositions, proposals, and other meaningful constructs. Here, the process of negotiation plays a significant role:

• Exchange structures: Through these structures (e.g., question-answer, offer-acceptance), meaning is transferred and altered between participants. Each turn in dialogue has the potential to instantiate and re-instantiate the reality of both individuals.

• Modality and negotiation: In the interpersonal realm, modality and modality negotiation serve as important tools for shaping meaning. For instance, modalisation (the expression of probability or necessity) and modulation (the expression of command, desire, or obligation) enable people to adjust, soften, or reinforce their projections of reality in relation to each other.

• Negotiating difference: Co-instantiation doesn’t always lead to harmony. Sometimes the projections of reality clash, leading to tension or disalignment—a productive site for change and growth, as individuals refine their meaning potentials through these encounters.

Consequences of Co-instantiation

Co-instantiation brings a fascinating duality: while it allows for alignment—shared understanding, consensus, and collective meaning—it also leaves room for difference. Individuals may never completely align in their construals of reality; instead, they learn to navigate and negotiate the differences in their projections.

Rather than merging worlds into one unified reality, co-instantiation allows for the negotiation of difference: a constant give-and-take, a dynamic flow of ideas that shapes the meaning potential of both individuals involved. This is where meaning becomes interpersonal—shaped by the interaction between different reality potentials.

Closing Thoughts

Co-instantiation is not about blending or absorbing distinct worlds into one. It is, instead, a process of mutual negotiation, a way of bringing different construals into dialogue, where realities don’t merge but are brought into productive relation. Through this negotiation, meaning potential is not only reinforced but expanded, creating new possibilities for both participants.