PERM UNIVERSITY HERALD. SERIES “PHILOSOPHY. PSYCHOLOGY. SOCIOLOGY”

VESTNIK PERMSKOGO UNIVERSITETA. SERIYA FILOSOFIA PSIKHOLOGIYA SOTSIOLOGIYA

DOI: 10.17072/2078-7898/2017-2-172-182

J. LOCKE’S «ΣΗΜΙΩΤΙϏΉ»:
HISTORY OF PHILOSOPHY’S RETROSPECTIVE

Skripnik Konstantin Dmitrievich
Doctor of Philosophy, Professor,
Head of the Department of History of Philosophy

Southern Federal University
Institute of Philosophy and Cultural Studies,
105/42, B. Sadovaya str., Rostov-on-Don, 344006, Russia;
e-mail: kdskrinik@sfedu.ru
ORCID: 0000-0002-2150-1571

The aim of the article is to draw attention to prima facie unexpected occurrence of the notion of semiotics (σημιωτιϗή) in Locke’s «An Essay Concerning Human Understanding». The author demonstrates close relationships between Locke’s semiotic ideas and certain philosophical tradition of his predecessors. It is assumed that Locke might have got acquainted with this tradition while studying and tutoring at Oxford University. The author believes that the adequate method of this research is the method of retrospective historical-philosophical analysis. Semiotic ideas of Locke’s «Essay…» are successors of Smiglecki’s «Logica», especially, Smiglecki’s «ens rationis», which, in turn, is related with the Conimbricenses’ commentary on Aristotle. Moreover, it is possible to see some similarities between Locke’s view on mental propositions and Ockham’s mental language, and between Locke’s semiotic considerations and Roger Bacon’s treatise «On Signs». The article proposes arguments in favor of the philosophical tradition of sign treatises devoted to the role of sign and sign relation, which has its roots in ancient works of Plato, Theophrastus, Philodemus, Stoics and Epicureans. The given consideration provides an additional basis for the acknowledgement of philosophy’s continuous development and for the rejection of traditional «borders» between the different stages of history of philosophy.

Keywords: history of philosophy, semiotics, Locke, Smiglecki, Ockham, Roger Bacon, treatises on signs.

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The date of the manuscript receipt 10.01.2017

Please cite this article in English as:

Skripnik K.D.J. Locke’s «Σημιωτιϗή»: history of philosophy’s retrospective // Perm University Herald. Series «Philosophy. Psychology. Sociology». 2017. Iss. 2. P.172–182. DOI: 10.17072/2078-7898/2017-2-172-182

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