Preparations for discussing constructivism with a Martian
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.
Department/s
Publishing year
2007
Language
English
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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