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Journal of Chinese
Architecture and Urbanism Exploring abduction in regenerative design

Table 2. Peirce’s syllogism, Bateson’s syllogism, and syllogistic structure regarding PP (Physarum polycephalum) and urban path system
Syllogism Rule Case Result
Peirce All the beans from this bag are white These beans are white These beans are from this bag
Bateson & Bateson, 1987 Grass dies Humans die Humans are grass
GAN_Physarum Urban path systems are transport networks PP’s pseudopod networks PP’s pseudopod networks are
are transport networks urban path systems

Figure 10. The processing of urban satellite images with slime mold images through GAN_Physarum. Source: ecoLogicStudio, Deep Green, Urbansphere,
Venice, 2021
of religion, the whole of poetry (...) these are instances or links the minds of humans and non-humans together.
aggregates of instances of abduction, within the human “The search for meaning then becomes a pervasive activity
mental sphere.” In his view, abduction also occupies a great among humans, animals, and technical devices, with many
region in nature and in our thinking toward nature, such different kinds of agents contributing to a rich ecology
as evolution and ecology. On this basis, Bateson proposed of collaborating, reinforcing, contesting and conflicting
the concept of mind ecology, expanding the notion of the interpretations” (Hayles, 2014, p. 217). This represents the
mind beyond the human body. He aimed to reshape the first layer of meaning in the mind ecology based on a bio-
epistemology, the “knowing how,” of nature, to establish cybernetic stance, that is, the correlation between multiple
connections common to all living beings (Bateson, design agents.
1979). PP “knows” how to grow and establish efficient Bateson’s pursuit of connections that span the entire
transportation networks. AI “knows” how to perform world, known as “patterns which connect,” is embedded
pattern matching (Figure 11). What they possess may not within the biological language of how organisms come
be human-like thinking, but it is indeed a form of what together and develop. Bateson rejected rigid classifications
Hayles referred to as “cognitive non-conscious” (Hayles, of organisms and studied how forms of individual life evolve
2014). Although humans do not fully understand their and change (Borden, 2017). The same organism may exhibit
epistemology, the non-humans still possess embedded a variety of forms at various stages of its life. Typicality-
cognition, which could be new knowledge for humans. In based research breaks the underlying organic connections
the DeepGreen project, abduction, as patterns of cognition, between forms. This insight has thus inspired reflection in

Volume 6 Issue 1 (2024) 10 https://doi.org/10.36922/jcau.1084