Cognitive approach to the learning sign systems. Part 1: pre-alchemical and alchemical periods

Abstract

The dependence of the process of cognition and understanding in any field of knowledge on the quality of semiotization, the detailed naming of cognition objects has always been a cognitive problem, although not always a realized one. The purpose of this work is to consider the relationship between the the semiotic system development and the cognition process in one of the natural sciences, namely, in chemistry. As a working hypothesis, we assume that there is a direct relationship between the processes of cognition and the study of reality from in terms of chemistry and semiotic coding of knowledge about the interaction of substances. At the same time, the processes of cognition and the ways of encoding information, resulted from the cognitive process, mutually affect each other. The semiotic system development, reflecting the knowledge level, is determined by the work on cognition objects, and also the way of coding knowledge stimulates new hypotheses or even conclusions about the object of research in chemistry. In the first part of this article, we consider the features of reflection in the signs of chemistry knowledge in the earlier times, including the alchemical period. The research method consists of the diachronic semiotic analyzing the concepts of chemistry language and signs from the Ancient till the New time. The study results confirm the hypothesis put forward.