Gennady Uzilevsky is a semiotician who has developed two scientific specializations: «ergonomic semiotics» and «metaphysic semiotics». The first deals with the research and design of languages for human-machine communication, the second — with studying human gender and its kinds and human being and its kinds.

While working out ergonomic semiotics, he was occupied with the problems of languages that are inherent in people, including natural and iconic languages, language of actions, language of poses, color code, etc. He revealed the composition and structure of evolutionarily developing artificial languages (fairy-tale language, bibliographic and chess languages, language of geometrical configurations, etc.),"child" natural language, frames, etc. It was found out that their structure consisted of two levels (abstract and concrete) determined by brain asymmetries. The definition of structures of the languages assisted him to formulate the hypothesis of two leveled structure /abstract-concrete/ of cognitive and mnemonic mechanisms of human beings brain. These structures were then transferred to human-computer interaction languages that gave a new impulse to their research and design.

Later the scientist studied nature of traditions and reproductions and came to conclusion that they possess not only two-leveled /abstract and concrete/ structure, but also noumenal-phenomenal nature. It led him to reconsider languages and codes that have two-leveled structure /abstract and concrete/ as noumenon-phenomenal formations. This interpretation made him think that human being had also a noumenal-phenomenal nature, because it is a carrier of programs, languages, codes, traditions, reproductions, etc. Later this finding promoted him to study Homo as generic human.

Gennady Uzilevsky was also occupied with working out various models of information processing by humans where linguistic and non-linguistic phenomena are combined together.

He worked also at the problems of user interface design: functions of user interface as information system were defined, the requirements for the latter were determined, the typology of human-computer interaction languages and requirements for their design were exposed. The structure-functional approach to color choice by user interface design that helps to increase the number of colors up to 10—12 pro page of a screen without a physiological damage of user’s vision was developed by him. He was especially interested in working out principles of iconic/ visual user interface design: he revealed features and functions of iconic languages.

In 1995 his original monograph «Human-computer interaction: conceptions, processes and models» was published in Russia. In 1999 he got the grant of Russian fund of fundamental investigations for publication of the book «Beginnings of ergonomic semiotics» (Oryol, 2000, 406 p., more than 720 references). Here it should be said that this scientific specialization was highly evaluated at numerous international conferences.

Concurrently G. Uzilevsky was working out the semiotic foundations of metaphysic (anthropological) semiotics. The model of generic human was worked out, it’s biologic and symbolic constituents represented by programs, languages, and codes were defined. The kinds of generic human, it’s spiritual, mental and body spheres, system of behavior formation and realization of accepted decisions were outlined, their features, functions, peculiarities were revealed. It was found out that a priory given programs, languages, and codes, which were formed in phylogenesis, were being displayed in the individual at all stages of his/her age development, including the prenatal period. This noumenal reality determines the hyper early capability of individual to education, bringing up, and socialization at every stage of his/her development. New ideas about generic human are a basis of individual transferring into social human in certain outer historical conditions.

Simultaneously the semiotic nature of essence, forms and harmony were investigated, their displaying in humans, nature, society and universe was outlined. It led the researcher to spiritual, ideal and material metaphysic beginnings that helped to interpret generic human not only as noumenon-phenomenal, but also as material, ideal (mental)-spiritual formation and to define its features and peculiarities. This understanding of generic human has pointed to the wisdom and utility of human gender research as the highest noumenal formation. It has aided him in defining its potential and kinds. The investigation of social institutes as noumenal-phenomenal and material, ideal (mental)-spiritual formation is a consequence of semiotic study of human gender and generic human.

This new specialization has appeared at the crossroads of semiotics with metaphysics of physics, meta-mathematics, probabalistic metaphysics of senses, west and east philosophy, political science, sociology, psychology, pedagogic science, theosophy, etc. The development of the scientific direction was reflected in a lot of his papers and three monographs:

1. 1. Introduction in anthropological semiotics. Oryol, 2002, 158 p., 222 references;
2. 2. Principles of design of computer-aided learning and methodology complex (Oryol: ORASS, 2002, 286 references.
3. 3. Human gender and individual in XXI century: metaphysic and phenomenological aspects. Oryol: ORASS, 2007. — 328 p., 529 references.

Here it is important to say that Gennady Uzilevsky follows the traditions of German-Russian systemic linguistic school (W. Humboldt —  I. Boduen de Curtene —  A. Potebnia —  G. Melnikov) and develop them in the space of metaphysic and ergonomic semiotics.

While constructing these specializations, the anthropo-semiotic [1] bottom up approach to the study of various types of noumenal-phenomenal formations is being worked up. The latter include: human being, intellectual and language vehicles, traditions, reproductions, innovations, social institutes, etc.

This approach was used by revealing and investigating problems of personality oriented methodology of education, generation of mental and physical actions, and informatization of education process. Consciousness, the unconscious and super-consciousness, intuition and knowledge typology were studied on the basis of anthropo-semiotic approach. Last years are occupied by the investigation of semiotic nature of functional organs (the concept was introduced by the prominent Russian physiologist A. Uchtomskij). It has stimulated to unveil the great potential of system for behavior formation and realization of accepted decisions that is inherent in generic human.

Gennady Uzilevsky has directed his scientific activities to the applications of this approach to the research of personality oriented society, social oriented economy of service, democratic state and post-industrial civilization in order to reveal their features, functions, peculiarities, and potential. The collective monograph «Post-industrial civilization and culture of control and management. Oryol: ORASS, 2005, 248 p, 260 references» based on the reports of his section «Post-industrial civilization and culture» at the International Congress «Unifying aspects of cultures», Vienna, November, 7—9, 2003« has been dedicated to noumenal-phenomenal formations, mentioned above.

It should be said that he felt a great interest to economy of service, revealing inner and outer determinants of its development, studying management and strategic marketing. The application of the anthropo-semiotic approach and the scientific specializations mentioned above led the scientist to write down the text-book dedicated to «Organizing behavior» (computer version).

In 2006 the collective monograph «Innovation and traditions: metaphysic and phenomenological aspects» (Orel: ORASS, 252 p., 339 references) based on the reports of his section «Inner and outer determinants of innovations, reproductions and tradition: synthetic approach» at the International conference «Innovations and reproductions in societies and cultures», Vienna, December, 9—11, 2005, has been appeared. Various ties between these objects of research were investigated from the position of anthropo-semiotic approach and general theory of developing systems.

While considering generic human and generic symbolic human he studies the deep mechanisms that determine the activities of the language of poses. These mechanisms include: symmetries and asymmetries of human body and brain, semantics of hand’s fingers, their ties with inner organs, etc. The vocabulary, semantics and syntactic of the language were defined. More than 350 expressions of different poses, including mudras, Chinese exercises, etc. were described and explained from the position of the anthropo-semiotic bottom-up approach that embraces the west and east experience. The new rapid method of recognition and prognosis of the development of social creature and his body based on the language was worked out. The text-book «Language of poses or how to recognize oneself, other people and positively impact upon spiritual, mental and physical state» was published in 2005 (Orel: Oryol Branch of Modern Humanitarian Academy, parts 1—2).

Gennady Uzilevsky has traced the ties between meta-semiotics and other specializations. The new monograph «State service worker and post-industrial civilization» (Oryol, 2004, 268 references) is dedicated to applying the ideas of metaphysic semiotics and to the sociology of personality. In its return, this book made him to work out the new specialization «metaphysic sociology» that studies social processes of transferring generic symbolic creature into the social one.

Now he is occupied with the elaboration of metaphysic cybernetics. The main focus of a new specialization is the application of such notions as «human gender» and «generic human», to problems of control and management. While working at new problems the researcher has changed his views at the nature of generic human concerning constituents of the latter. He thinks that there are three constituents: physical, biological and symbolic. It gave him a new impulse to reinterpret cybernetics of the first, second the third order and work out the meta-cybernetics or cybernetics of the fourth order.

While investigating crossroads of artificial intelligence, human-computer interaction and semiotics, Uzilevsky felt a certain interest in mathematical semiotics and its two ways: research of mathematical subjects by icons, music, color or icons investigation of ideal (abstract) forms by mathematical methods. Now he studies semiotic and metaphysic aspects of mathematical modelling.

Gennady Uzilevsky is the organizer and the chair of the section «Human gender and individual in XXI century: metaphysic and phenomenological aspects» in the space of Russian philosophical society. This section works, bieng attached to ORASS. Its activities have promoted to self-organization of the scientific direction, which deals with investigations of development and functioning of social institutes. Starting points of their research are human gender and generic human. Publishing house of Oryol Regional Academy of State Service began to issue books of series of ORASS Transactions «Human being and social institutes in 21^st century». The monograph «Human gender and individual in 21^stcentury...» mentioned above is the first issue of the series. The collective monograph «Human being and state in 21^st century: metaphysic and phenomenological aspects» will appear in 2008 and will be the second issue of the series.

The activities of the section during two years promote to create the unseen scientific collective. It has directed its forces to the research of social institutes in the cintext of views about human genus and generic human. In this respect the section bears now another title: «Human being and social institutes in 21^st century: metaphysical and phenomenological aspects».

International conference «Knowledge, Creativity and Transformations of Societies» took place in Vienna, Austria, 2007, December, 6—9. 28 researchers from Finland, Germany and Russia sent their abstracts to Gennady Uzilevsky’s section «Transformation of personality oriented civil society in the context of being and development of economy of service and post-industrial civilization» (http://www.inst.at/kctos/sektionen_t-z/uzilevsky.htm#ref). Reports of the section will be presented in works of the conference in English and German, and in the third issue of ORASS Transactions «Human being and social institutes in 21^st century».

Dr. Uzilevsky was born in Oryol, Oryol region, 1936. After the graduation of Oryol pedagogical Institute in 1960 (teacher of English and German) he worked in various research institutes, studied at courses of information sciences in VINITI (1973) and worked on the problems of scientometrics (1978) in Moscow University, V. Nalimov’s laboratory. In 1983 he defended PhD’s thesis «Semiotic aspects of bibliographic processes». 1996 was successful for Gennady Uzilevsky: He defended doctor of philological sciences theses «Natural and artificial languages in current linguistic processors» (the sphere: structural, applied and mathematical linguistics). He is also the senior researcher in linguistics, psycholinguistics and socio-linguistics and professor in sociology of control and management.

The researcher took part in many international and national conferences dedicated to anthropology, artificial intelligence, CAD problems, ergonomics, HCI, iconic interface, information sciences, linguistics, psycholinguistics, psychology, semiotics, etc.

Professor Dr. Uzilevsky is the author of 20 books and more than 350 papers. He was the member of Human Factors and Ergonomics Society (USA) in the period of 1992—1999.

He is married, has two children, the grandson and two granddaughters. He knows English, German, and Russian.

He is a professor of sociology and psychology chair, management and economy chair of Oryol Regional Academy of State Service, Oryol, Russia. He is a chair of the section «Human being and social institutes in 21^st century: metaphysical and phenomenological aspects» of Russian philosophical society.

His address: Moscowscoe schosse 113a, flat 8, 302025, Oryol, Russia, phone: (+7-486-2) 33-61-61. E-mail: guzilevsky@orel.ru

¹ Other titles of this approach that were used in his publications during 30 years are:system0semiotic approach. synthetic approach, synthetic-semiotic approach. [Back]