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Taking the Edusemiotic Turn: A Body∼mind Approach to Education
Author(s) -
Semetsky Inna
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
journal of philosophy of education
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.501
H-Index - 41
eISSN - 1467-9752
pISSN - 0309-8249
DOI - 10.1111/1467-9752.12082
Subject(s) - epistemology , pragmatism , semiotics , contradiction , interpretation (philosophy) , philosophy of education , linguistic turn , sociology , action (physics) , variety (cybernetics) , philosophy , representation (politics) , linguistics , computer science , higher education , law , political science , physics , quantum mechanics , artificial intelligence , politics
Educational philosophy in E nglish‐speaking countries tends to be informed mainly by analytic philosophy common to Western thinking. A welcome alternative is provided by pragmatism in the tradition of P eirce, J ames and D ewey. Still, the habit of the so‐called linguistic turn has a firm grip in terms of analytic philosophy based on the logic of non‐contradiction as the excluded middle. A body∼mind approach pertains to the edusemiotic turn that this article elucidates. Importantly, semiotics is not illogical but is informed by the paradoxical logic of the included middle. The process of reasoning is however indirect or mediated; it involves active interpretation (in a variety of forms) versus direct representation; it is analogical and connects what are otherwise doomed to remain isolated substances of body versus mind with a separation of knowledge and action. Analysing and synthesising the philosophies of C harles S anders P eirce and G illes D eleuze, together with a brief excursion into the cutting‐edge science of coordination dynamics, this article will demonstrate how the body∼mind assemblage is created in practice, and what may be the implications of such a stance for educational philosophy and pedagogical practice.