Numerosemiosis (CSV Glossary Entry, v1.0)

This dataset introduces the neologism Numerosemiosis as part of a controlled vocabulary for systems engineering, epistemic infrastructure, and semiotics. The CSV provides a structured definition schema (Term, Definition, Discipline, Keywords, Source), designed for reuse in academic, technical, and infrastructural research contexts. Numerosemiosis designates numbers as bifunctional semiotic operators: quantitatively, they serve as formal instruments of measurement, computation, and optimization in mathematical and engineered systems; qualitatively, they act as epistemic-symbolic mediators that generate coherence across representational, institutional, and infrastructural layers. This dual operativity grounds numbers not only in mathematical formalism but also in the semiotic and infrastructural processes that sustain knowledge regimes. The framework extends canonical semiotic theory (Peirce’s sign–object–interpretant triad, Lotman’s semiotic mechanisms, Eco’s theory of codes), aligns with mathematical formalism (Hilbert, Bourbaki), and situates numbers as control operators within systemic and cybernetic architectures (Wiener). From the perspective of science and technology studies, it echoes the infrastructural accounts of Bowker & Star (Sorting Things Out) and Edwards (A Vast Machine), highlighting how numerical operators shape epistemic infrastructures at scale. Dataset structure: CSV (UTF-8) with columns Term, Definition, Discipline, Keywords, Source.License: CC BY 4.0 — free for reuse with attribution.Citation: Please cite this dataset via its DOI and acknowledge the canonical references where relevant.Keywords: numerosemiosis; semiotic operators; systems engineering; epistemic infrastructure; philosophy of mathematics; quantification; symbolic mediation.Versioning: This dataset is the initial entry in a developing glossary of terms for epistemic infrastructure research.