Distinguishing Between the Material Reality and Social Reality

Diagram 1.

Diagram 2.

Diagram 3.

Correspondence between concepts and their names as proposed by Vernadsky, Lotman and other thinkers

John Searle (1995), Robin Dunbar (1997)	Volodymyr Vernadsky (1925)	Juri Lotman (1984)	Vernacular (Middle Eastern) Distinction
Social Reality	Noosphere	Semiosphere	Culture (Soul, Spirit)
Material Reality	Universe + Biosphere	Extrasemiotic Sphere	Nature (World, Universe)

Functional and frequential composition of human speech

All Utterances
Overwhelming Number	Speech Acts (Doing Things)	Primary (Evolutionary) Function: Group Bonding
Minimal Number	Sentences (Logical Value)	Secondary Function: (Evidence-Based, Logical) Communication

Misperceiving Humanity’s Position in the Universe: The new geocentrism (humanocentrism)

Spatialization and Concepts	Ranking / Evaluation / Importance
Humanity = Noosphere = Semiosphere = Culture	Primary = Higher
Biosphere = DNA-based Life (minus Humanity) = part of Extrasemiotic Sphere	Secondary = Lower
Universe = Extrasemiotic Sphere (minus Biosphere)	Tertiary = Lowest

Debunking the implicit geocentrism, humanocentrism and/or wishful thinking of the spatialized schemata of humanity’s place in the material reality

Material Reality	Primary	Independent of Human Will	Perceivable to all sentient beings (humans and animals)
Social Reality	Secondary	Dependent on Human Will	Perceivable only to those in the know (humans alone)

The logical grid (“litmus test”) for checking whether an entity or phenomenon belongs to the material reality or social reality (asterisk [*] denotes entities that are non-existent)

	Objective	Subjective
Physically (Ontologically)	Material reality	Social reality, non-existent *elements of the material reality (*yeti, *ether)
Epistemically	Material reality, elements of social reality in which people believe that they exist (nation, state, a language, deity)	Non-existent *elements of the material reality (*yeti, *ether) in which people do not believe; elements of social reality in which people have ceased to believe (*Greek gods, *ghosts)