Semiotic Machines - an Introduction
How to introduce the term Semiotic Machine
AUTHOR: Dr. Gerd Döben-Henisch
FIRST DATE: Aug-6, 1996
DATE of LAST CHANGE: Sept-29, 1996
At the beginning of this workshop about Semiotic Machines the term 'Semiotic Machine' is not fixed to a certain meaning. Michail Nadin told me by personal communication that he is claiming to have used this term first (see e.g. Nadin 1986), but as da Silveira shows us in his paper (Silveira 1996), Peirce has dealt with the question of semiotic machines already without using the term 'Semiotic Machine' explicitly. Thus it is no surprise that the work of Peirce has inspired several authors to discuss the case of Semiotic Machines explicitly (see e.g. Ransdell 1977, Ketner 1988, Stickel 1993; for a discussion see da Silveira 1996). And as we will see below Charles Morris also is claiming to have considered the case of Semiotic Machines by imagining sign users not only as biological systems but as machines too; this happened not later than 1975 (cf. Posner 1991:115).
As we shall see the different lectures of this workshop will also confront us with more than one possible concept of a Semiotic Machine. This situation suggests not to introduce a single simple definition of what a Semiotic Machine is or could be. Instead of giving such an ad hoc definition I prefer to work out an outline of a possible theoretical framework for semiotic machines as a proposal. With this proposal I am aiming at the reconstruction of semiotic as a formal and an empirical theory. It is my conviction that any serious introduction of the term Semiotic Machine presupposes a clear theoretical concept of semiotic as a firm ground for further formal definitions. I will end up with a proposal of a definition of what Semiotic Machines could be within this theoretical framework.
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