Dear Readers of the Semiotician to the Stars:
A few people have asked me recently WHAT IS, exactly, a "semiotician to the stars?"
Well, as far as I can tell, it is something I made up. I liked the ring of the words together. I liked the implications of semiotics, the "science of signs" to inform my whimsy, my attraction and repulsions that could very well be defined by the march of the planets across the sky.
From the venerable wikipedia.org, the role of a semiotician is "Semioticians classify signs and sign systems in relation to the way they are transmitted (see modality). This process of carrying meaning depends on the use of codes that may be the individual sounds or letters that humans use to form words, the body movements they make to show attitude or emotion, or even something as general as the clothes they wear. To coin a word to refer to a thing (see lexical words), the community must agree on a simple meaning (a denotative meaning) within their language. But that word can transmit that meaning only within the language's grammatical structures and codes (see syntax and semantics). Codes also represent the values of the culture, and are able to add new shades of connotation to every aspect of life."
And do I think any of my writing fits within this system? Yes, in the sense that I think that meaning is magic. It is a system of verbal and nonverbal cues, relationships, symbols, history and context, emotion, mood and ability to understand (be receptive) all rolled into one. I think it is almost too complex to really understand, but fun to take manic stabs at. I think that is where the stars come in....objects in the sky far off, vaguely understood, or massively misunderstood.
Because if you see semiotics as the science of signs, the stars in the sky have been symbols for humans longer than non-iconic symbols, writing and even spoken language. They are our celestial monument, our blinking braille, our consistant mystery. By being a "Semiotician to the Stars" one is opening up the system to the heavens...to the sun, and beyond.
But really, for me, this blog is about a place to put content related to my writing and somewhat eccentric thinking. I am no genius academic, but more of a thought prowler, a petty thief, a night burgler of the unconscious wearing bruise tones and attempting to, "use emotions to predict the future," which is a line I borrowed from Temple Grandin*. We all use emotions to predict the future, to contextualize our decision making, to motivate our next move. I am curious about the space between systemic thinking, emotions and irrationality.
And if that isn't a big enough boat to sail in, I will be forced to swim.
Yours,
Erinia Jourdanski Semiotician to the Stars
*Temple Grandin reported that in patients with a disruption or inability to use the part of the human brain that serves as the emotions center were unable to make decisions.
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