Some Ultimate Theory Viewed Through Systemic Functional Linguistics

Penrose (2004: 1033-4):

I hope that it is clear, from the discussion given in the preceding sections that our road to the understanding the nature of the real world is still a long way from its goal. Perhaps this goal will never be reached, or perhaps there will eventually emerge some ultimate theory, in terms of which what we call ‘reality’ can in principle be understood. If so, the nature of that theory must differ enormously from what we have seen in physical theories so far. The most important single insight that has emerged from our journey, of more than two and one-half millennia, is that there is a deep unity between certain areas of mathematics and the workings of the physical world, this being the ‘first mystery’ depicted in Figs. 1.3 and 34.1. If the ‘road to reality’ eventually reaches its goal, then in my view there would have to be a profoundly deep underlying simplicity about that end point. I do not see this in any of the existing proposals.

Blogger Comments:

From the perspective of Systemic Functional Linguistic Theory, there is no ultimate theory, because there is no meaning outside semiotic systems to be matched by the meanings of theory. Instead, the symbolic processing of consciousness construes experience as meaning, and reconstrues such meaning as theory. Theories, as semiotic systems, are open-ended evolutionary systems with no ultimate goal, like biological systems. Moreover, each theory circumscribes its range of possibilities by its foundational epistemological assumptions.