皮尔士符号学说再评价

皮尔士对符号研究的主要贡献,就在于发现:符号之所以成为符号,之所以能通过一定的形式系统代替或代表不同于符号自身的其他事物、现象、过程,无非是由于符号的解释者依据一定的共同体或社会的规范所作的解释或认知.符号自身无所谓指称和表达,而是人把它作如是观,是人这样理解和规定的结果.也正是人赋予符号以生命,并以符号为工具发展了人自身.人类文明所经历的漫漫长路,可以说就是人运用符号承载文化,传递知识,并将人自身的劳动过程浓缩于符号系统的漫长历史.

A New Evaluation on Peirce''''s Semiotic Theory

Peirce's main contribution to the study of signs consists in the following findings: the reason why a sign can become a sign in its formal sense and stand for or represent some object, phenomenon or process is due to the interpreter's cognition or explanation that is based on a certain convention of a community or society. A sign itself cannot signify anything without the human beings' judgment. It is the result of human's understanding and convention. It is the human beings who give a sign life and makes use of it as his instrument of development. The history of human civilization can be considered as one during which people use signs to convey cultures and knowledge.