#62

Today I have had an article writing day, with some 2900 words added to the manuscript while finishing (and then submitting) my book chapter "Ecosemiotic questions: Towards a comprehensive description of the complexity and creativity of life". This brings the number of writing days this Spring up to 62 including 35,5 article writing days.

This was the most productive writing day this Spring in terms of words written (not coincidentally, today was also my longest workday this Spring - before my summer vacation which starts tomorrow). Altogether I logged 15.864 words written in June, over 18,5 writing days (the most any month this Spring). This Spring I logged a total of 29.942 words written, which is more than any Spring since 2019 except 2020 and 2025.

#59

Today I have had an article writing day, with some 900 words added to my book chapter "Ecosemiotic questions: Towards a comprehensive description of the complexity and creativity of life". This brings the number of writing days so far this Spring up to 59 including 32,5 article writing days.

#56,5

Today I have had half an article writing day devoted to my book chapter "Ecosemiotic questions: Towards a comprehensive description of the complexity and creativity of life", with some 450 words to the manuscript. This brings the number of writing days so far this Spring up to 56,5 including 30,5 article writing days.

#23,5; longtermism essay accepted and revised; Palgrave chapter proposal accepted

Today I have had half a book writing day and half an article writing day. 

For the book writing day, I researched industry news and other news related to climate change and particularly carbon capture and storage (CCS) in preparation for my forthcoming book Carbon Capture and the Future of Environmentalism. 

For the article writing day, I conducted minor revisions of my article "På sporet av en tapt fremtid" (roughly translating to "In search of a lost future") which is now accepted and forthcoming in Salongen - nettidsskrift for filosofi og idéhistorie. Moreover, I did some initial planning concerning my paper "Ecosemiotic questions: Towards a comprehensive description of the complexity and creativity of life", which has now been accepted (as a chapter proposal - cf. previous post) for inclusion in the book Creativity – Complexity – Intelligence, Semiotic Perspectives on the Emergence of Meaning (to appear in the book series "Palgrave Studies in Creativity and Culture") by the book´s editors (Merit Maran, Lauri Linask and Merja Bauters). 

This brings the number of writing days so far this Spring up to 23,5, including 17 article writing days and 6,5 book writing days.

Chapter proposal for Palgrave book "Creativity - Complexity - Intelligence"

I have just finished a chapter proposal titled "Ecosemiotic questions: Towards a comprehensive description of the complexity and creativity of life", and submitted it to the editors of the prospective book volume Creativity – Complexity – Intelligence, Semiotic Perspectives on the Emergence of Meaning (Palgrave Studies in Creativity and Culture). 

This concludes my academic writing in January, with a total of 3.186 words written.

Reelected as Norway repr. and Secretary of NASS at NASS general assembly

On the eve of the 14th conference of the Nordic Association for Semiotic Studies (NASS), held in Tallinn, Estonia in conjunction with the 15th Annual Lotman Days with the theme “Creativity – Complexity – Intelligence” June 11-13th, the general assembly of NASS was held. I was reelected as Ordinary representative for Norway (which I have been since 2011), and as Secretary of NASS (which I have in this round been since 2023). Lauri Linask (Estonia) was reelected as President and Paulius Jevsejevas (Lithuania) reelected as Treasurer.

Two Certificates of Excellence for Best Student Presentation granted at NASS XIV in Tallinn

Over the last three days I have taken part in selecting the winners of the best student presentations at the 14th conference of the Nordic Association for Semiotic Studies (NASS), held in Tallinn, Estonia in conjunction with the 15th Annual Lotman Days with the theme “Creativity – Complexity – Intelligence”. At the closing session today, two Certificates of Excellence for Best Student Presentation were granted, to:

• Karl Joosep Pihel for the presentation "Musical semiotics in a major key: Between Deleuze and topic theory" 
• Heidi Campana Piva & Michele Cerutti for the presentation "Everything is connected: Signs of a conspiracy"

Session chaired, ecosemiotics presentation given at NASS XIV in Tallinn

Today I chaired the session «Complexity in Ecological Thought» at the 14th conference of the Nordic Association for Semiotic Studies along with the 15th Annual Lotman Days, “Creativity – Complexity – Intelligence“ (NASS XIV), which is currently being held at Tallinn University, Tallinn, Estonia (June 11–13, 2025). As part of the session, I presented my paper «Ecological semiotics, lifeworld perspectives, and sustainability». About 25-30 people attended.

Ecological semiotics paper scheduled for presentation June 12th in Tallinn at NASS XIV

My paper «Ecological semiotics, lifeworld perspectives, and sustainability» has been scheduled for presentation On Thursday June 13th at around 14.30-15.00, in the preliminary program of The 14th conference of the Nordic Association for Semiotic Studies along with the 15th Annual Lotman Days, “Creativity – Complexity – Intelligence“ (NASS XIV), which is to take place at Tallin University, Tallinn, Estonia, June 11–13, 2025. My paper will be part of the session «Complexity in Ecological Thought» (involving four papers by skilled biosemioticians).

Abstracts reviewed for NASS XIV conference

I have recently peer-reviewed 17 abstracts as a member of the scientific committee of The 14th conference of the Nordic Association for Semiotic Studies along with the 15th Annual Lotman Days (NASS XIV), with the theme “Creativity – Complexity – Intelligence“, which is to be held in Tallinn, Estonia, June 11–13.

Moreover, even more recently, I have taken part in assessing candidates for receiving NASS graduate student grants.

Ecosemiotics paper "Ecological semiotics, lifeworld perspectives, and sustainability" accepted for presentation at NASS XIV

I have been informed by the organizers of the 14th Conference of the Nordic Association for Semiotic Studies, organized jointly with the 15th Annual Lotman Days with the theme “Creativity – Complexity – Intelligence”, which is to take place in Tallinn, Estonia, June 11–13, 2025, that my paper "Ecological semiotics, lifeworld perspectives, and sustainability" has been accepted for oral presentation.

PS: I am part of the scientific committee of the conference, but of course we don´t evaluate our own abstracts.

NASS board meeting attended

Today I attended a board meeting of the Nordic Association for Semiotic Studies (NASS), which was focused on planning related to our forthcoming conference, NASS XIV, to be held in Tallinn, Estonia June 11-13th. The planning is led by NASS President Lauri Linask.

Abstract for NASS XIV: "Ecological semiotics, lifeworld perspectives, and sustainability"

I have just composed and submitted the abstract below to organizers of The 14th conference of the Nordic Association for Semiotic Studies along with the 15th Annual Lotman Days, which has the theme “Creativity – Complexity – Intelligence“ and is held in Tallinn, Estonia, June 11–13, 2025.

***

"Ecological semiotics, lifeworld perspectives, and sustainability"

Abstract

Morten Tønnessen 

Drawing on my recently published encyclopedia chapter “Ecological semiotics” (Tønnessen 2024), in this presentation I outline how ecological complexity is underpinned by sign use and sign systems. Ecological semiotics, or ecosemiotics, can be understood as the study of sign use by organisms in an ecological context. In ecology, semiotic phenomena and sign processes occur at different levels of biological organization, and distinctive kinds of sign use is characteristic of different kinds of interspecies interaction. Ecosemiotic studies help to explain how ecological complexity can be understood in semiotic terms, and how sentient organisms interpret their environment and make choices that are informed by their sign use. I will present the basic theoretical outlook of ecological semiotics with an emphasis on lifeworld perspectives, particularly represented by the Umwelt theory of Jakob von Uexküll (2010). This implies relating ecosemiotics to phenomenology, subjectivity and agency. In a more rudimentary sense, even plants, fungi and microorganisms have agency which can be framed in semiotic terms. In my work, I stress the relevance of a semiotic approach for human ecology and contemporary discussions concerning environmental sustainability. While ecosemiotics is amply informative applied to general ecology, it is especially pertinent in the context of understanding how human agency and sign use affects the environment at large. Ecological semiotics can help us understand how genuinely human sign use stands out from non-human sign use, and the ways in which human sign use is subject to cultural variation. Crucially, a semiotic approach to environmental issues can be informative with regard to understanding how human behaviour and sign use affects non-human lifeworlds by triggering environmental change which is experienced in sign-mediated ways. This positions ecosemiotics to address issues of environmental sustainability.

REFERENCES 

Tønnessen, Morten 2024. “Ecological semiotics”. Chapter. Encyclopedia of Ecology (3rd edition) (Reference Module in Earth Systems and Environmental Sciences). Elsevier. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-443-21964-1.00018-5.  

von Uexküll, Jacob 2010. A foray into the worlds of animals and humans with A theory of meaning. O’Neil, J. D. (transl.). Minneapolis, London: University of Minnesota Press.