Abstract

Through a series of exploratory case studies focusing on hermeneutics, phenomenology, relativity, field theory, quantum mechanics, chronobiology, chaos theory, holographic theory and various aspects of mathematics, a set of hermeneutical constraints and degrees of freedom are generated. ;There are a set of eight field equations given in the thesis which give qualitative symbolic expression to the aforementioned spectrum of constraints and degrees of freedom that constitute the structural character of understanding. However, as is sometimes the case with their quantitative mathematical counterparts, the hermeneutical field equations are capable of giving a variety of descriptions or solutions for one and the same set of conditions. The task, therefore, is to try to sort out those solutions which have reflective properties with respect to the structural character of reality from those which do not have such properties. ;The thesis addresses this task by introducing the idea of hermeneutical field theory. In this theory the notion of a semiotic operator or semiotic quantum plays a central role. More specifically, this quantum is considered to be the carrier of hermeneutical force. It arises as a field property at the complex, horizontal membrane-manifold linking human consciousness with different levels of scale of reality. ;When taken collectively, the aforementioned set of equations gives expression to the structural character of hermeneutical field theory. Therefore, when one begins to run concrete variables through the theory underlying these equations, one encounters various kinds of hermeneutical constraints and degrees of freedom. These constraints and degrees of freedom characterize the dialectical engagement of consciousness and reality as one seeks to acquire understanding concerning the above mentioned variables and the context which gives rise to them. ;Hermeneutical field theory is really the study of the factors that affect the state of the six internal 'spin' components of the semiotic quantum in any given instance of dialectical interaction between consciousness and reality. Consequently, on the one hand, hermeneutical field theory involves an investigation of the potential sources of curvature or distortion which may be introduced into the exchange or transduction process occurring during the dialectical engagement between consciousness and reality. On the other hand, hermeneutical field theory is a study of the factors which need to be taken into consideration to establish hermeneutical point-structures, neighborhoods or latticeworks which can serve as analogs for different aspects of reality toward which attention is being directed