Fifth semioethics interview: With Augusto Ponzio and Susan Petrilli

After 4 years of waiting since we scheduled to conduct an interview back in 2007, at the Helsinki/Imatra world congress of semiotics, I finally got my interview with Susan Petrilli - and Augusto Ponzio - on semioethics. The interview, which was recorded, took place in New York City, where we were all attending the 11th gathering in biosemiotics, on June 24th. It will be transcribed by me, the interviewer, and then edited in cooperation with the interviewees. It is not yet clear to what journal we will submit it.

I have previously, in 2009, conducted four interviews on semioethics with John Deely, two of which have been published as of today.

The audio recording with Ponzio and Petrilli is about 70 minutes long.

Nova's semiotics book (and third semioethics interview) published

Nova Science Publishers' edited collection Semiotics: Theory and applications has finally been published, a half to one year after schedule. The official publication date is said to be June 1st (though I only received instructions for how to access my complimentary ebook June 14th, and achieved access June 20th).

My contribution in this book volume is "The Semioethics Interviews III: John Deely: Human Understanding in the Age of Global Awareness".

There are two more semioethics interviews with Deely (no. 2 and no. 4). These will appear at some point, perhaps next year.

Reference for third semioethics interview

The delayed semiotics anthology of Nova Science Publishers is still, according to the publisher, in production. On request I was given a reference, however - page numbers, to be precise, resulting in the following reference for my contribution:

Morten Tønnessen 2011. The Semioethics Interviews III: John Deely: Human Understanding in the Age of Global Awareness. Pp171-189 in Steven C. Hamel (ed.): Semiotics: Theory and Applications, New York: Nova Science Publishers.

Nova: Semiotics e-book published; new invite received

The Nova book Semiotics: Theory and applications, where I contribute with chapter 6, The Semioethics Interviews III: John Deely: Human Understanding in the Age of Global Awareness, has now apparently been published both as an e-book and in print. The e-book version was said to be in final production as of March 12th (see below).

Cf.
Nova's semiotics anthology published? (March 12)
Nova's semiotics publication: To be released when? (February 1)

Meanwhile, today I received a third invitation to contribute with a chapter to a Nova Science Publishers anthology (along with countless others, I am sure). The topic this time: Wolves: Biology, Behavior and Conservation.

Nova's semiotics anthology published?

The book collection Semiotics: Theory and Applications, which was to be published in the 4th quarter of 2010, and where I contribute with "The Semioethics Interviews III: John Deely: Human Understanding in the Age of Global Awareness ", has apparently been published by now, in hardcover (status is set to "Available"). The e-book, however, is still in "Final Production".

Nova's semiotics publication: To be released when?

On Amazon, it says that Nova Science Publisher's Semiotics: Theory and applications, where I contribute with "The Semioethics Interviews III: John Deely: Human Understanding in the Age of Global Awareness " (chapter 6), "will be released on 1 February 2011" - today.

On Nova's own pages, however, it still says that the ebook is in "final production", and that the hardcover version is "at press". In both cases, the publication date is still set to "2010 4th quarter".

I have received no notification from the publisher.

Nova publication approaching - semioethics download available

Above you see the frontpage of the upcoming book ´Semiotics: Theory and applications´, where I contribute with ´The Semioethics Interview III: John Deely: Human Understanding in the Age of Global Awareness´.

According to the information given the hardcover version is now ´at press´, whereas the ebook is in ´final production´ (full price for each one: 129$). My article is also available for download for the interesting price of 100$.

The Semioethics Interviews III: John Deely: Human Understanding in the Age of Global Awareness

$100.00

Authors: Morten Tønnessen

Abstract: The general topic of this contribution is semioethics, widely regarded as one of the most significant developments in semiotics after the turn of the 21st century, and along with the existential semiotics of Eero Tarasti (2000) a sign of an ethical turn within semiotics. The term semioethics, which signifies not least the emergence of a sense of global responsibility, was introduced by Susan Petrilli and Augusto Ponzio in 2003, and Petrilli in particular is associated with this emerging scholarly field. The semioethics interviews, conducted by Norwegian-born Tartu semiotician Morten Tønnessen, starts out (in four separate interview articles) with Professor John Deely, a prominent American scholar known among other works for The Four Ages of Understanding: The first Postmodern Survey of Philosophy from Ancient Times to the Turn of the 20th Century (Deely 2001a). Deely, a semiotician as well as a philosopher, has joined Susan Petrilli and Augusto Ponzio in their endeavour by grounding the notion of semioethics in philosophical terms. Topics include the responsibility of humankind, individuals and governments, the place of culture as part of and yet distinct from nature, the semiotic side of modern economic and technological development, the future prospects of human understanding and morality in the light of current economic and political developments, and philosophy – the distinction between ontology and epistemology, and the terminology of rights, ncluded – reviewed in terms of (Peircean) semiotics. In the course of the interview, Deely relates not only to Peirce but further to Petrilli, to Thomas Sebeok, to the biologist Jakob von Uexküll (1864-1944) and to phenomenologist Edmund Husserl. The human condition is examined time over again, drawing on a rich reference material from philosophy as well as from various sciences and scholarly disciplines.

Third semioethics interview finished, submitted and approved

The third semioethics interview, "The semioethics interviews III: John Deely: Human understanding in the age of global awareness" was in the main finished the last weekend and finally submitted (with minor changes) this Monday to Nova Science publishers for their forthcoming edited collection "Semiotics: Theory and applications". Wednesday it was accepted for publication.

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I have further cleared it for possible cross-publication in their topical journals.

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CONTENTS

Introduction

To consider products as processes

To be aware that something exists independently of us

To realize that this planet is what we have

To realize that tomorrow is not a forever thing

To pinpoint who are responsible

To understand the domino effect

To conceptualize reality appropriately

To foresee negative consequences of miraculous technologies

Conclusion

Semioethics interview in Nova's semiotics anthology

I have submitted an abstract entitled “The Semioethics Interviews III: John Deely: Human Understanding in the Age of Global Awareness” to Nova Science Publishers' planned anthology Semiotics: Theory and Applications, upon invitation.

The first interview in this series was published in Hortus Semioticus. The second and fourth are still to find their places of publication (interested, anyone?).