Feeling the signs: The origins of meaning in the biological philosophy of Susanne K. Langer and Hans Jonas
Sign Systems Studies December 21, 2021 Andreas Weber
This paper examines the semiotic approach to organism in the work of Susanne K. Langer and Hans Jonas, two proto-biosemiotic thinkers. Both independently develop the concept of "feeling" as a value-based perspective arising from an organic system's active self-interest. They describe the organism as a subject and a closed circular self that creates meaning and value. Their ideas align with Francisco Varela's later interpretation of autopoiesis, specifically embodied cognition or "enactivism." The authors suggest that synthesizing these positions could illuminate how symbolic expression emerges from biological conditions of life.