Walker Percy, Philosopher (8)

walker percy

Forthcoming: Walker Percy, Philosopher.

To Take the Writer’s Meaning: An Unpublished Manuscript on “Peirce and Modern Semiotic” by Walker Percy

Kenneth Laine Ketner

Percy has been studied under several headings: Catholic, Southerner, Existentialist. Two such aspects, however, have been neglected: the strong influence of Charles Sanders Peirce, plus Percy’s deep competence in laboratory science. His typescript essay, “Peirce and Modern Semiotic (1959),” presented here, shows that Percy was well ahead of his contemporaries in understanding the scientific and philosophical importance of Peirce’s Semeiotic, the Theory of Semeioses. Percy particularly pointed to the experiential importance of “taking the other’s meaning.” He regarded that common phenomenon as vital, and genuine—a kind of event that behaviorists such as B. F. Skinner or Charles Morris explained away as nothing but a dynamic dyadic causal (or S-R) process. Percy’s essay definitively blocks those reductions.

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Rob Haskell

robert haskell

Today marks the death of my chum Rob Haskell. With hindsight, so much of what Rob told me in his last two years (in person and telephonically) reveals just how profoundly hurt he was: a hurt perpetrated not just by departmental bullies but also by a cowardly lack of gumption in coming to his defence — or as Captain Haddock would say: “Lily-livered landlubbers!” Rob’s crime you may ask? Simply that he was an “unfashionable old white blue-collar male who was just taking up space!” This very unpretentious, kind and gentle soul was thrown to ravenous hyenas that were encircling. The upside to all this (insofar as there is one) is that they will come to tear bits off each other as they are wont to do when on the back foot — and these days they are. This will make for a karma cake with schadenfreude icing.

 

David Murray

Leibnitz

I was lucky enough to have had David Murray as one of my tutors at Birkbeck who I’ve only just discovered, died two years ago (I don’t think I’d any idea that he was originally a Canuck). Here is his obituary in the FT and Toocool2betrue along with a squib from the Edmonton Journal, and so far as I can tell, not a peep emanating from Birkbeck. (David’s sister, Jan Murray died soon after). I’d often wondered whatever became of David since thirty years on, I still harbour very fond memories of our tutorials — long-form conversations on Leibniz on identity and on music in general, always accompanied by a snifter or two from a bottle strategically hidden behind a book on his office book shelf (one would be sent to the gulag for such behaviour these days!). Though I can’t say I knew David well, he struck me as a very patient, gentle, fair, cultivated and, above all, a thoroughly decent chap — virtues in short supply these days. The departmental rumour-mill was that he was pushed out ostensibly because he wasn’t publishing: others more privy to the departmental machinations have told me that the real reason was that “they” resented his having the FT as a parallel gig. Do people not realize that this regressive sour grapes power-grab has being going on now for at least 30 years? Anyway, I raise a glass to the memory of David.

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Microblogging and stigmergy

stigmergy

Yet another article that detects a stigmergic dynamic within a digital domain, namely microblogging, made freely available via Sensors.

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Walker Percy, Philosopher (7)

walker percy

Forthcoming: Walker Percy, Philosopher.

Walker Percy’s Intersubjectivity: An Existential Semiotic or 3 + 3 = 4

Rhonda McDonnell

Rhonda McDonnell argues that Walker Percy’s self-described “radical anthropology” is properly understood as Existentialist semiotics. The cornerstone of this anthropology is his concept of intersubjectivity, which was developed through his examination of language development in humans, his participation in a study of schizophrenics, and his investigation of a broad range of thinkers from the disciplines of science, psychiatry, anthropology, semiotics, and philosophy. Percy’s Existential semiotic predates that of Eero Tarasti, which was independently developed at the turn of the twenty-first century. For Percy, using an Existential Semiotic provides a triadic science in place of traditional binary science. Using this triadic model, he analyzes human communication in terms of subjectivity and intersubjectivity, self and other, authenticity and inauthenticity. Ultimately, McDonnell asserts that Percy’s goal is to posit intersubjectivity as a means to address and potentially heal issues of identity and alienation.

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Butley

cinema

Alan Bates’ performance of a lifetime (and he’s had a few) deliciously embodies Simon Gray’s scathing insider’s perspective into the grim world of humanities academia (already that in 1971). Butley has much in common with Malcolm Lowry’s Under the Volcano insofar as all the action takes place in one day, everything falls apart, and alcohol is part and parcel of the protagonist’s demise. Here is Alan Bates talking about the role along with two reviews: NYT and Roger Ebert. Here too is Bowie singing what could well have been part of the soundtrack, Chris O’Leary commenting: “The flailing scholar of the original recording at least had energy in his desperation; here, all is resigned, empty despair”. At least Butley was someone who once had a substantive interest, i. e. T. S. Elliot, unlike the array of “activisms” (that tend to attract the already embittered) and that crassly characterize much of what masquerades as “English” (i. e. with little or no canonical literature and philology). Butley/Bates was a favourite I shared with my mother as was The Go-Between and An Englishman Abroad. I’m glad that I never had the gumption to approach Bates when, on the way to my mother’s GP, we passed him on the pavement (we lived on the same street, about a five walk apart).

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Gigerenzer papers

behavioral economics

The most distinguished Gerd Gigerenzer has very kindly alerted me to some of his most recent writings. Roger and I were honoured to have Gerd participate in our co-edited Minds, Models and Milieux: Commemorating the Centennial of the Birth of Herbert Simon and moreover, with whom we spent an enjoyable time in San Francisco a couple years back. You’ve got to love the title of item 3 below:

  1. A Theory Integration Program
  2. Can search engine data predict pancreatic cancer?
  3. A Simple Heuristic Successfully Used by Humans, Animals, and Machines: The Story of the RAF and Luftwaffe, Hawks and Ducks, Dogs and Frisbees, Baseball Outfielders and Sidewinder Missiles—Oh My!
  4. How new fact boxes are explaining medical risk to millions

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Liberty Fund Book Sale

classical liberalism

Liberty Fund is offering a 20% discount on all their books and DVDs. (Use promo code JULY18 at checkout — expires July 31, 2018). Discount aside, their books are incredibly good value for money and are superbly bound.

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Walker Percy, Philosopher (6)

walker percy

Forthcoming: Walker Percy, Philosopher.

Diamonds in the Rough: The Peirce-Percy Semiotic in The Second Coming

Karey Perkins

Karey Perkins makes the case for the view that Percy is more than a novelist with occasional random existential musings or themes. Although Percy begins in existentialism, his coming across semiotics sparked Percy’s interest in language as the uniquely human symbolic activity. Moreover, Percy attempts a systematic philosophy based in Peirce’s semiotic, by applying semiotic principles not just in his philosophical essays, but also in his novels—something rarely mentioned, even by Percy himself.

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