"Semiotics of being and Uexküllian phenomenology" to be published in Analecta Husserliana

My article "Semiotics of being and Uexküllian phenomenology" is about to be published as a chapter in the forthcoming volume 110 of Analecta Husserliana. I only got to see an email about its proof-reading this afternoon (I had not received any notice about the acceptance of my text for publication). The book is scheduled for publication already in August.

At 14 pages, my text summarizes my notions of 'semiotics of being' and 'Uexküllian phenomenology' and relates them among other things to Anna-Teresa Tymieniecka's 'phenomenology of life', Peter-Wessel Zapffe's 'biosophy', the eco-phenomenologies of David Abram and Ted Toadvine and the 'Phaneroscopy' of Charles Sanders Peirce.

Two key quotes:

"If we believe that eco-phenomenology, or environmental philosophy in general, is all about human perceptions, we commit a categorical mistake, and miss out on the heart of the matter."

"There can thus be no sharp distinction between philosophy and the life sciences, but rather a gradual transition from the more-or-less philosophical/generic to the more-or-less scientific/specific."

The title of Analecta Husserliana vol. 110 (CX) is Phenomenology/Ontopoiesis Retrieving Geo-Cosmic Horizons of Antiquity, and it is as always edited by A.-T. Tymieniecka. My contribution has been placed as chapter 27, in section VI, "Nature, World, Continuity", along with chapters by Francesco Totaro, Sibel Oktar and Catia Giaconi.

NATURE AND ARTIFICE IN MANIFESTING/PRODUCING THE BEING
Francesco Totaro

SEMIOTICS OF BEING AND UEXKULLIAN PHENOMENOLOGY
Morten Tonnessen

THE PLACE: WHERE WE SEE THE WORLD AS A LIMITED WHOLE
Sibel Oktar

LINES FOR CONTEMPORARY CONSTRUCTIVISM TO REVISIT AND REINTEGRATE THE ANCIENT SENSE OF CONTINUITY BETWEEN MEN AND NATURE
Catia Giaconi

The base variants of semiotic causation

I am doing some writing, and in the process developing my notion of 'semiotic causation', which is coming to inhabit a central place in my semiotic worldview. Ten days ago I conceived of 'intentional causation' - the range of which in the realm of the living must correspond to each semiotician's notion of 'intention', which is likely to be somewhat intertwined with his or her notion of 'interpretation'.

Today I am introducing a distinction between 'horizontal semiotic causation' and 'vertical semiotic causation' tied to Peirce's levels of symbols (thirdness), indices (secondness) and icons (firstness), and a further distinction between 'mutual' and 'unilateral' semiotic causation (within either horizontal or vertical semiotic causation). Such subdivision is useful, but it should not be taken in any dogmatic vein. Part of my motivation is demonstrating the radical difference between semiotic interplay that is closed off from e.g. ecological developments (typically: horizontal semiotic causation, especially horizontal symbolic causation), and semiotic interplay which is in contact with such reality (typically: vertical semiotic causation).

Presentation held in doctoral seminar

Two days ago I presented my thesis work in the doctoral seminar of the Department of Semiotics. Beforehand I had distributed a 4-page semi-detailed table of contents of my forthcoming dissertation. In the seminar, however, I went through a variety of visual representations of Uexküllian categories.

I did get some useful feedback - though my chronic habit of constructing new words is not to everyone's taste (but hey, that's exactly what Peirce did, to mention but one inspiring neologizing figure).

Phenomenology paper revised

A week ago or so I revised and expanded my paper 'Semiotics of Being and Uexküllian Phenomenology', to be considered for publication in Analecta Husserliana as part of the proceedings of the 60th international congress of Phenomenology, arranged in Bergen in August. A section "Concluding remarks" has been added. The expansions are in part reflected in the first part of this addition to the abstract (I also respond to some criticism):

I will further make a few remarks on the partial resemblance between Uexküllian phenomenology and Tymieniecka’s ‘phenomenology of life’, and its difference from the ‘phaneroscopy’ of Peirce.