Introduction: What Does It Mean to Create Meaning?

• The paper challenges the old idea that meaning is produced only by human minds or language.
• It argues that all living systems—from single cells to complex animals—create meaning by interacting with their surroundings.
• Meaning is not just about words; it is about how organisms sense differences, interpret them, and then act on those differences.

Understanding Reference Frames (RFs): The Organism’s Built-In Measuring Tools

• A reference frame (RF) is like an internal ruler or clock that helps an organism compare what it observes with its past experience.
• RFs allow organisms to separate important signals (objects) from background noise in their environment.
• For example, in bacteria, the chemical state of a protein acts as an RF to indicate whether conditions are “good” or “bad.”

How Living Systems Create Meaning: A Step-by-Step Process

• Step 1: Observation – Organisms use sensors (like eyes or chemical receptors) to gather information about their environment.
• Step 2: Reference – They compare new information against their internal benchmarks (their RFs) to spot differences.
• Step 3: Action – Based on what they detect, organisms take actions (for example, moving toward food or away from danger).
• Step 4: Memory – They store these experiences for future use, much like saving a recipe to make it even better next time.

Key Concepts Explained in Simple Terms

• Reference Frame (RF): Think of it as the organism’s personal measuring stick that tells it what is normal and what is different.
• Active Inference: This is the balance between taking action and learning from what happens—like deciding whether to follow a familiar recipe or try a new twist.
• Memory and Learning: Similar to remembering a cooking method, these processes help organisms improve their responses over time.
• Attention: Just as you focus on the key ingredients in a recipe, attention helps organisms decide which environmental signals to prioritize.

How Do Living Systems Identify and Segregate Objects?

• Organisms break down their environment into “objects” (important items) and “background” (less critical details).
• This process is similar to picking out the key ingredients from a mix when preparing a meal.
• Even simple cells distinguish between nutrient-rich areas and harmful conditions, even without “seeing” objects the way humans do.

Switching Attention and Prioritizing Information

• Living systems are constantly choosing which signals to focus on, like switching between steps in a recipe.
• This dynamic attention allows them to quickly respond to changes—similar to noticing when a pot is about to boil over.
• Both internal signals and external cues help guide this shift in focus.

Memory Storage and Access: The Recipe Book of Life

• Memories in living systems are stored in various ways—from simple chemical marks to complex neural circuits.
• These memories allow organisms to recall past experiences, much like a recipe book that helps you repeat and improve a dish.
• Memory is not fixed; it is updated with new experiences to refine future actions.

Self-Representation: Recognizing the “I” in Living Systems

• The paper explains how even simple organisms develop a sense of self, distinguishing their own body from the rest of the environment.
• This self-awareness is similar to knowing what ingredients you have in your own pantry versus what’s outside.
• Having a self-representation helps an organism decide how to best interact with its surroundings.

Evolutionary Perspective: The Journey of Meaning

• The ability to create meaning has evolved over billions of years, from simple cells to complex brains.
• Evolution has layered additional processes on top of basic mechanisms, much like refining a simple recipe into a gourmet dish.
• This shows that meaning is a multi-scale phenomenon present in every living system.

Conclusion: Implications for the Life Sciences

• The creation of meaning connects biological processes with cognitive science, demonstrating that all life processes information.
• Understanding these mechanisms can lead to new ways of influencing biological systems, similar to tweaking a recipe to produce a novel flavor.
• It challenges traditional ideas that separate mind and body, showing that even simple organisms perform complex information processing.

引言：创造意义是什么？

• 本文挑战了只认为意义由人类心灵或语言产生的传统观念。
• 文章主张，从单细胞生物到复杂动物，所有生物系统都通过与环境互动来创造意义。
• 意义不仅仅关乎文字，而是关于生物体如何感知差异、解释信息，并据此采取行动。

理解参照系（RFs）：生物体内置的测量工具

• 参照系就像生物体内部的尺子或时钟，帮助它将当前观察与过去经验进行比较。
• 通过参照系，生物体能从环境中区分出重要的信号（物体）与背景噪音。
• 例如，在细菌中，一种蛋白质的化学状态就充当了参照系，告诉细胞环境是“良好”还是“不良”。

生物系统如何创造意义：逐步解析

• 第一步：观察 – 生物体利用感受器（如眼睛或化学受体）收集环境信息。
• 第二步：参照 – 将新获得的信息与内部标准（参照系）进行比较，找出差异。
• 第三步：行动 – 根据观察到的差异采取行动，比如向食物移动或避开危险。
• 第四步：记忆 – 将这些经验存储下来，类似于记录下一个改进版的食谱，供以后使用。

关键概念的简单解释

• 参照系（RF）：可以把它看作生物体的个人测量工具，帮助判断何为正常，何为异常。
• 主动推理（Active Inference）：在采取行动与从环境中学习之间取得平衡，就像决定是遵循已有食谱还是尝试新变化。
• 记忆与学习：类似于记住做菜方法，这些过程帮助生物体随着时间的推移不断改进反应。
• 注意力：正如在烹饪时你会关注关键原料，注意力帮助生物体确定应优先处理哪些环境信号。

生物体如何识别和区分物体？

• 生物体将环境分解为“物体”（重要元素）和“背景”（次要信息）。
• 这种过程类似于从一大堆材料中挑选出关键配料，为烹饪做好准备。
• 即使是简单的细胞也能区分出营养丰富的区域与有害的环境，虽然它们并不像人类那样“看到”物体。

如何转换注意力并优先处理信息

• 生物体不断选择需要关注的信息，就像在烹饪过程中不断切换步骤一样。
• 这种动态的注意力使它们能迅速应对变化，就如同你发现锅里水快沸腾时立即调低火力。
• 内部信号和外部提示共同引导这种注意力的转移。

记忆的存储与调用：生命的食谱集

• 生物体的记忆以多种形式存储，从简单的化学标记到复杂的神经网络。
• 这些记忆帮助生物体回忆过去的经验，就像一本食谱书帮助你重复并改进一道菜肴。
• 记忆是动态的，会随着新经验的积累而不断更新。

自我表征：理解生物体中的“我”

• 文章探讨了即使是简单生物也能发展出一种自我感，帮助它们区分自身与外部环境。
• 这种自我认知类似于了解自己储藏室中有哪些食材，而不是外面可用的食材。
• 拥有自我表征有助于生物体更好地决定如何与环境互动。

进化视角：意义的演化之旅

• 创造意义的能力经历了数十亿年的演化，从最简单的细胞到复杂的大脑。
• 演化为基本机制增加了更多层次，就像将简单的菜谱不断改进成精致的美食佳肴。
• 这一过程表明，意义是一个存在于所有生物系统中的多尺度现象。

结论：对生命科学的启示

• 意义的创造连接了生物过程与认知科学，证明所有生命都在处理信息。
• 理解这些机制可能为我们提供操控生物系统的新方法，就像调整食谱可以创造出全新的口味一样。
• 这一观点挑战了传统上将心灵与身体分离的观念，展示了即使是简单的生物也能进行复杂的信息处理。