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Preparations for discussing constructivism with a Martian

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Author

Summary, in English

It is easy to demonstrate the naivety of many people preparing messages for intelligent beings on other planets using pictures. On the other hand, constructivism, which supposes all our perception to rely on social constructs, has long been shown to be untenable, notably by Gibson, who instead suggested that some general ecological principles have to be taken into account. In a parallel fashion, I have argued that the critique of iconicity should be supplanted by a semiotic ecology: general principles accounting for the fact that pictures are perceived as signs by human beings. In this sense, a message comprehensible to a Martian would need to go beyond the specificity of human ecology.

Publishing year

2007

Language

English

Document type

Conference paper

Topic

  • Languages and Literature

Keywords

  • picture
  • iconicity
  • ecology
  • extraterrestrials
  • sign

Conference name

Les signes du monde: Interculturalité & Globalisation, 2004

Conference date

2004-07-07 - 2004-07-12

Conference place

Lyon, France

Status

Published