Semiotics, Cognition, and Culture from an Embodied Cognition Approach
Melina Gastélum Vargas
Cybernetics & Human Knowing August 20, 2025 DOI: 10.53765/17566177.32.1.029 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Key points | Argues that semiotics, cognition, and cultural studies can be productively integrated through an embodied approach to cognition, in which sensory and motor experiences shape the interpretation of cultural signs and the construction of meaning. Proposes using principles of ecological psychology and sensorimotor enactivism, along with von Uexküll's concept of "umwelt," to explore this intersection. |
Abstract
In this article, we will introduce how the intersection of broad fields such as semiotics, cognition, and cultural studies can be understood from an embodied approach to cognition. This article explores a possible exploration of this intertwining that seeks to understand how our sensory and motor experiences, rooted in embodiment, shape the way we interpret cultural signs and construct meaning. To do so, we will mainly use some principles of ecological psychology and sensorimotor enactivism. We will address the dimensions of embodied cognition from the phenomenological field proposed by the German biologist Jakob J. von Uexküll, and particularly, we will use the term umwelt intertwined with ecological psychology and enactivism.