Abstract
Science in the modern sense has its origins in early modernity, while the concept of Lebenswelt comes to us from the late modern development of Husserlian phenomenology. Umwelt, by contrast, comes principally from the work of Jakob von Uexküll. Semiotics, by contrast both with science and with phenomenology, is a postmodern development – indeed, as far as philosophy is concerned, semiotics is the very heart of the postmodern turn of intellectual culture. My thesis is that the concept of ``environment'' most properly pertains to the understanding of science, ``Umwelt'' best suits phenomenology, while ``Lebenswelt'' requires a semiotic interpretation to achieve its richest potential.
About the author
John Deely (b. 1942) is a full professor at the University of St Thomas 〈jndeely@stthom.edu〉. His research interests include nature of science as both cenoscopic and ideoscopic, nature of postmodernity as new philosophical epoch, and the history of philosophy and semiotics. His publications include Augustine & Poinsot (2007); Descartes & Poinsot (2007); Intentionality and semiotics (2008); and Medieval philosophy redefined (2010).
©2014 by Walter de Gruyter Berlin/Boston
