Bildung and Humanity: Semiotico-theoretical considerations

1. Bildung and Humanity:Semiotico-theoretical considerations Bildung seminar, Oulu 25.-27.5.2009Eetu Pikkarainen

2. Semiotics • Study of meaningful sign structures = How meaning effects are created • Sign structures can be produced intentionally for to create certain meaning effects: messages in communication;or they can be side products of other action or just any parts of environment.

3. Meanings • Meaning effect = influence to subject’s action • Objective “meanings” (causal effect) • Subjective meanings: how subject itself affects its own action because of the object/event • Intersubjective meanings: a shared or common way to experience meaning effects

4. Action • Interaction between subject and its environment • Contains subject’s deeds = events caused by subject (on some object) • Requires that subject has competencies (cf. intentionality etc.) • Semiotic competence = ability to experience meanings (-> direct ones action in environment)

5. Competence • An unordinary (not empirical) property which we must presuppose to a subject when we perceive (and presume) it doing a deed (in action)(cf. disposition)

6. Action circle(s) External processes: Environment, objects Internal processes: competences Plan, intention Deed Internal action External action Evaluation Perception

7. Bildung • Bildung = becoming a human being, or part of humanity • Extending from bio- and zoosemiotic level to anthroposemiotic level • What is humanity? • How does this becoming happen?

8. Learning • Learning = changing of competences (= internal process) • How competences can change? • spontaneously (random) • by time (biology) = mature, develop • in action = learning • Learning = changing of subjects competences as a (side) effect of its own action (including its internal action)

9. Humanity 1 • Human being = social, rational and free • The internal action -> self-consciousness; independence from external. • Special human freedom and rationality is based on intersubjective meanings.

10. Humanity 2 • Bildung : not only changing just competencies of some individual subjects, but changing the whole human community. (Intersubjective meanings!) • Humanity itself is “sich bildende(?)”, self transcending

11. Inconclusion • Bildung = intransitive process (not action)