Notes towards a semiotic theory of learning

Abstract

This article explains the academic trajectory that led to his interest in semiotics and construing education from a fully semiotic perspective. This involves an encompassing discussion of both Western metaphysics in general and, contextually, scholarly trends in British academia, where semiotics is not mainstream, especially given the analytical tradition here. The article unfurls the arguments for which semiotics, taking the side of process as opposed to substance metaphysics, can collapse mind/body dualism, in the broader discussion of overcoming the longstanding divide in Western philosophy and science between empiricism and rationalism. The discussion supports a semiotic doctrine of rich empiricism, where the sign is defined as a feature of an event, experience as the subject’s implication in events and events as the manifestations of processes. The paper concludes by pondering the importance of these considerations for learning and education through an example of educational policy.