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From: eliot@phoenix.Princeton.EDU (Eliot Handelman)
Newsgroups: comp.ai.philosophy
Subject: Re: semiotics
Message-ID: <3185@idunno.Princeton.EDU>
Date: 7 Oct 90 21:48:51 GMT
References: <1990Oct1.195848.27252@riacs.edu> <24980001@hpopd.HP.COM> <1990Oct7.191106.24276@math.lsa.umich.edu>
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In article <1990Oct7.191106.24276@math.lsa.umich.edu> jjewett@math.lsa.umich.edu (Jim Jewett) writes:
;In article <24980001@hpopd.HP.COM>, richardh@hpopd.HP.COM (Richard
;Hancock) writes:
;|> You might find semiotics (the theory of signs) interesting - meaning exists
;|> only through "common consent", ie. by the existence of a common
;signification
;|> function by which signifieds are associated with signifiers.
;
;How does this function  become common?  How can two agents (eg people)
;first establish that they have a common consent with which to establish
;further communications?
;
;Or is this asking whence sprang the first chicken?

That's what Derrida says, and that's why "there is nothing beyond the
text."