ONT Aristotle's Approximation

[Jon Awbrey <jawbrey@oakland.edu>]

¤~~~~~~~~~¤~~~~~~~~~¤~~~~~~~~~¤~~~~~~~~~¤~~~~~~~~~¤

Here is the locus classicus for Aristotle's Approximation To Sign Relations:

| Words spoken are symbols or signs (symbola) of affections or impressions (pathemata) of
| the soul (psyche);  written words are the signs of words spoken.  As writing, so also is
| speech not the same for all races of men.  But the mental affections themselves, of which
| these words are primarily signs (semeia), are the same for the whole of mankind, as are also
| the objects (pragmata) of which those affections are representations or likenesses, images,
| copies (homoiomata).
|
| Aristotle, 'On Interpretation', 1.16.a.4-7,
|'Aristotle, Volume 1', Translated by H.P. Cooke & H. Tredennick,
| Loeb Classical Library, William Heinemann, London, UK, 1938.

Here are some pieces that Susan Awbrey and I have written on the significance of this text:

http://www.chss.montclair.edu/inquiry/fall95/awbrey.html
http://www.door.net/arisbe/menu/library/aboutcsp/awbrey/integrat.htm
http://www.sagepub.co.uk/journals/Details/issue/abstract/ab017772.html

It is my custom to allow my internetlocutors a few moments peace
to contemplate the pertinent materials on their own recognizance
before I return to tell them what they should think about it all.

So I will do that now,

Jon Awbrey

¤~~~~~~~~~¤~~~~~~~~~¤~~~~~~~~~¤~~~~~~~~~¤~~~~~~~~~¤