Cognitive Sustainability in the Age of Digital Culture

Luis Emilio Bruni

doi:10.31269/triplec.v9i2.301

Luis Emilio Bruni

DOI: https://doi.org/10.31269/triplec.v9i2.301

Keywords: Biosphere, Technosphere, Semiosphere, sustainability, pervasive digital-interactive-immersive-representational- technologies

Abstract

The aim of this article is to contextualize the implications of the expansion of digital culture in the on-going dis- cussions about the relations between sustainability and information and communication technologies. In order to relate the development of a global digital communication web, its effects on cultural processes and the issues of ecosystem and hu- man sustainability that humanity is facing, I will relate and elaborate on three aspects: 1) A Batesonean perspective on sustainability 2) The recent evolution of the technosphere, and 3) Yuri Lotman’s notion of Semiosphere and his semiotic theory of culture. This path will lead me to delineate some of the eco-ethical dimensions implied in the development of pervasive digital-interactive-immersive-representational technologies.

Author Biography

Luis Emilio Bruni

Luis Emilio Bruni Born in 1963 in Caracas - Venezuela. Ph.D. in Molecular Biology and Theory of Science at the Institute of Molecular Biol- ogy, University of Copenhagen, Denmark. Master of Science in International and Global Relations at the Universidad Cent- ral de Venezuela. Bachelor of Science in Environmental Engineering at the Pennsylvania State University, USA. Since 2004 is at Aalborg University (Denmark) where he is associate professor at the Department of Architecture, Design and Media Technology and where he teaches courses on multimodal perception and cognition, digital culture and theory of science. His current research covers relations between cognition, technology and culture with focus on sustainability. For several years was guest lecturer in bioethics and sustainability at the Department of Biology of the University of Copenhagen. From 1987 to 1991 was researcher at the Communication Science and Artificial Intelligence Research Centre "Semeion" of Rome, Italy, where he started his research in semiotics, cybernetics and epistemological perspectives in culture-nature relations. From 1996 to 1999 served as especial adviser on biodiversity, bioethics and sustainable development to the Amazonian Parliament and was researcher at the Venezuelan Centre for Global and International Relations of the Universi- dad Central de Venezuela. Was founder member of the International Society for Biosemiotic Studies (ISBS), currently serves in its executive committee and is member of the editorial boards of the Biosemiotics Journal (Springer).