Okeydokey, so we'll back.
So we have now done two lectures in facts, specifically social facts.
I'm going to continue in this area talking about functions.
I'm going to start talking about the general notion of a function that I'm going to go into what is
called agentive functions, and then after that, what is called status functions and also institutional
facts, which are facts that we create in the world.
And that's how we creating actually the social world.
And now we're going to actually start tying bits together in the whole.
And with this, we start tying bits together from the very beginning when we start talking.
When we started talking about concepts and then we went into intentionality and collective intentionality
and speech acts and declarations, and now in the end, we actually see how we are using that to create
our social reality.
OK, very good.
Let's start with what is the function then.
So take a simple example, so a function is always observe a relative.
What I mean without that means that it's nothing that is intrinsic in the actual object that it is of
a specific function.
So, for example, this metal blob on this chank, so it is a hammer because I use it as a hammer.
And that what I mean what I'm saying that that it is observed relative.
So Hammer is something that I have up in my mind.
It's nothing that is intrinsic to the actual object.
The other interesting thing about a function is that it's always part of a whole.
You don't just have one thing, they'll have a function.
A function is defined in the context of a number of different functions.
They create a system together, so functions are contextualized, explicitly or implicitly.
We might not actually think about the system as such, or we might have a general notion about the system
as such.
But for example, a hammer is only understood if we also understand what males are and planks are and
so on and carpentering.
So we assign an object and function.
We assign a function to an object within the context of a number of different other functions, and
they also then place a larger role in the system.
So here, for example, we had a hammer to nail and the plaque.
What is interesting about any system, and this is not just system that we developed will come into
that a little bit later on.
It's any type of system is that a system strives towards some type of perceived goal or a value or purpose.
And this is actually shown quite easily, if you think of it, that because a system could always malfunction
and it malfunctioned because it won't it doesn't deliver the value or it doesn't achieve the goal,
that we think that it should.
And hence that points to that we actually implicitly or explicitly always define a goal for the system.
So, for example, the goal for this system could potentially be to create a shelter because we like
to not get wet or freeze and so on.
But that also means that if function or a system always exist on a background, so we had this notion
of the intentional network that we talked about and that the network is grounded in the background,
that means that the whole all types of functions that we create are always also existing relative to
background knowledge.
So I use hammers to drive nails into planks, and I use planks to build a house, which is the shelter.
I need shelter because otherwise I would freeze as on so on.
We talk about that in the international network here, but that will also be grounded out in very more
like abilities that John of puts it.
So they are not even intentional states anymore.
They're just there in the background or as which as I say, said the hurly-burly of human activity.
So that also means that no purpose, goal or value, no function.
Right.
And this is actually also true for biophysical functions.
So it's not only functions in terms of systems that we develop and create ourselves, it's any type
of system because the system is always either created by us or used to explain some natural phenomena.
But the system doesn't exist in the natural as a natural kind.
So, for example, biological functions are also sign in respect of some higher value or purpose.
So, for example, take this so we have a heart, we have a liver and we have some kidneys.
And they have the function of being a circulation pump and detoxification and the waste removal part
in this human body.
So this function serves a role in the explanation of a theory about human bodies.
Right.
And the higher value here is human survival in the end life.
But let's say that the higher value is not life and human survival, but should be human destruction
instead.
Then you see directly that all those functions are actually malfunctioning.
So what I'm saying here, does any type of system, even if we use a system just for explaining some
phenomena, is defined in terms of that it strives for a higher value or goal or purpose.
So if we change the value, then the functions will also implicitly or explicitly change.
Then there is another very interesting type of function here, and that's the functions created using
language, they are called at least by several stages functions.
So as a special type of agentive function, Magento functions are any type of function that we are assigned
that we otherwise assign to objects.
For example, like a hammer by the special type of agented function is the status function because the
how in the hammer case, I don't need to use the language to define it, but for a state as function,
that is something that I declare.
And here it comes back to the Declaration Speech Act, which is so important in this.
So I can say holding up this bit of paper with ink on it.
John, famous example, this hereby counts as money in this room.
So I can just uttered those words.
And if everybody agrees on it and accept my declaration, that piece of paper that I have in my hand
actually becomes money.
And this is also very notable, so if you have just one dollar bill, you can actually read this declaration
directly on the bill.
It actually says that this note is legal tender for all debts, public and private.
So that is the declaration that has been actually and emphasized on the actual dollar bill, which is
quite important and interesting, at least I would say so in the very general form.
John Surrell actually defines this as Excalibur's Y in C, so we have an X, which is any type of object
and that all count as Y, that's the role or the function.
The state is functioning.
You apply assigned to it and it functions as y in the context, see.
We impose functions on objects using this declaration of the format, so, for example, this bit of
paper with ink on it, as I said before, counterfeit money in Sweden, for example.
And then the very interesting thing here, in the same way, we when we looked at generativity in language
and syntax, recursion, more or less does the rest for us, because once we have created one thing,
what we call a status function using this declaration and we have signed on to a specific object in
the world, then we could actually assign functions to that functions and functions to that function
and functions to that function and so on.
So it becomes an ever increasingly complex system and that is the way we actually create social reality
more or less.
That boils down to that very simple thing we declare state is functions with a simple formula of X count
as Y in C, and then we do that recursion.
So let's look at the little bit more complex example where this is done and a number of steps, how
we actually do this more practically.
So let's say that we first declare a system, so we use declarations to declare a number of functions
within the system.
So, for example, money, money, issuing central bank and state, those are all declarations.
They are created using declarations.
So we say, for example, that that is hereby a concept called money, which the central bank in our
state is allowed to issue.
And before that, of course, we have done the same with central bank and state and so on.
So but then the second step here is that we need to get this recognized and accepted by the people living
within this context or existing within this context, because otherwise it would only be we or me maybe
that thinks this.
So we need to have a collective acceptance about this step to then step three, then we can actually
instantiate those new concepts were created onto specific objects, and that is the declaration as well.
So then we can say that this institution pointing to whatever we're pointing to, count as the central
bank in our state.
So now we actually have an already declared institution of some kind.
And then we put a new function on top of that institution.
We assign that new status function to that institution, and that is the status function of being a
central bank.
And then again, we need to get the instantiation recognized and accepted by the crown.
Then fifth, we let this institution then do its function that is declaring that paper with some ink
on it actually should count as money in the country.
See, in these, for example, in Sweden or in in the U.S. So we said that this paper counters money
in our state.
So that's step five and then step six.
We also, since we already have trusted the central bank to do this for us because we already accepted
that declaration, then we implicitly also trust the central bank to do this assignment onto this specific
paper.
So that was kind of one to six of very important steps to simplify how this actually happened in the
real world, how we buy using this very simple formula or X, Y and Z in recursion creates very complex
systems.
But then there is an even more maybe interesting part of this, and that is that you can have what is
called free-standing y terms so you can have status functions existing in thin air, so to speak.
There is no object on the line.
So you can have functions that exist.
The only thing that you can actually have a status function without the X in it.
And they are called Free-standing Y terms by Johnson here.
So if we take this concrete example where we have an X, so we have a normal status function, you have
you hereby count as the precedent, as someone that wanted to have that power, of course, could issue
such a declaration.
But then we have it in relation to that.
We have a freestanding YTN y term.
So this hereby count as a corporation then we don't actually have any X at all.
We just declare that a state is function exist or instantiates the state function, I should say.
So we instantiate a stagers function just out of thin air and that is also very, very interesting.
So those objects that we create here, for example, everybody would probably agree that a corporation
is something that exist.
Right.
But there is nothing to actually put your hands on here.
You cannot touch.
It's not just a paper is not just a building.
It's not just the people.
It's this thetas function declaration assignment that created the corporation from the beginning.
So it boils down to the declaration.
And I should and you should also remember, as we said, so this is nothing.
So we cannot do this without language.
So this is we cannot just think I just created a corporation.
We must use the language for it.
And here's one of the key points.
Why human beings have been able to create societies that we have because we have a language and we have
something called declarations.
You cannot do that.
We just intentional states.
That's very, very important and very, very interesting to think about, actually the important role
of language here.
So we actually have three things here.
We have collective intentionality.
We have declaration, speech acts and we have recursions.
And with those three tools, we actually create our social world.
And this reality exists in our collective minds.
So this also ties together all the three different corners of the triangle, and I'm going to talk about
that a little bit in the summary part, which is a separate lecture after this.
But maybe already you can start seeing that we actually have things that we literally think exist.
But when we try to analyze them, we see that they only exist in our collective intention attentional
state.
So these are very different objects, because if we think about human beings, bacteria, Sundari,
Mountain Earth, and then think about hammers and tables and computer screwdrivers for engine and thermometers,
and then we think about university degrees, birthday parties, precedent, money, loan and insurance.
You see that they form kind of three very different classes of things.
So we have two things here that exist independently of us.
So even if we not around, there will still be this tree.
I think everybody could agree that if you're not into solipsism.
Then we have this on the class of things that exist just because we use them as such.
So they are phenomena that arise because we are using the things in a certain way.
So we use this blob and Chank together to drive those nails and then it becomes a hammer.
Right.
And then we have actually things that exist because we have jointly declared them to do so.
So we have used language to create social reality.
Very good.
So that was actually the last lecture in this call when we are looking at the three corners in the Aldrich's
triangle.
So, no, I'm going to do kind of a little bit of analysis of what we've done so far to see if we can
unify those corners a little bit better and see that they are they are definitely not.
So separate us.
Three different corners.
Very good to see you there.