Peer Bundgaard | Aarhus University (original) (raw)
Papers by Peer Bundgaard
The present essay aims to explicate a key area of contemporary semiotics by laying bare the impor... more The present essay aims to explicate a key area of contemporary semiotics by laying bare the importance assigned to schematic representations in recent theories of meaning: so-called morphodynamic semiotics and cognitive linguistics. It suggests and gives evidence for the ...
Phenomenology and The Cognitive Sciences, Mar 3, 2014
ABSTRACT This article addresses the phenomenology of aesthetic experience. It first, critically, ... more ABSTRACT This article addresses the phenomenology of aesthetic experience. It first, critically, considers one of the most influential approaches to the psychophysics of aesthetic perception, viz. neuroaesthetics. Hereafter, it outlines constitutive tenets of aesthetic perception in terms of a particular intentional relation to the object. The argument comes in three steps. First, I show the inadequacies of the neuroaesthetics of beauty in general and Semir Zeki’s and V.J. Ramachandran’s versions of it in particular. The neuroaesthetics of beauty falls short, because it develops hypotheses of aesthetic experience which have no consequences for the understanding of what art is, that is, how artists produce visual meaning effects in their works. This is so because they make the rewarding feeling of beauty the cornerstone of aesthetic experience. Next, I show why and how aesthetic experience should be defined relative to its object and the tools for meaning-making specific to that object, and not relative to the feeling (of beauty) it may elicit. Finally, I sketch the import this fact may have on a research program in empirical aesthetics.
The New Yearbook for Phenomenology and Phenomenological Philosophy
Choice Reviews Online, 2010
Cognitive Semiotics
This text is a short intellectual biography written in memory of Per Aage Brandt (1944–2021). I p... more This text is a short intellectual biography written in memory of Per Aage Brandt (1944–2021). I present some of the main tenets of his scientific endeavor, artistic practice, and scholarly entrepreneurship.
Cognitive Semiotics
George Lakoff and Mark Johnson’s Conceptual Metaphor Theory is by and large a theory of what (abs... more George Lakoff and Mark Johnson’s Conceptual Metaphor Theory is by and large a theory of what (abstract) concepts are, how they are structured, and how this structure is acquired — i.e., by mapping of structure from one more concrete or sensory-motor specific domain to another more abstract domain. Conceptual metaphors therefore rest on “cross-domain mappings.” The claims to the effect that our abstract concepts are metaphorically structured and that cross-domain mappings constitute one of the fundamental cognitive meaning-making processes are empirical and can therefore be put to the test. In this paper, I will critically assess Conceptual Metaphor Theory as a theory of concepts in light of recent experimental findings. Many such findings provide evidence for the psychological reality of cross-domain mappings, i.e., that structure activated in one domain actually can perform cognitive tasks carried out in another domain. They do not, however, support the claim that the structure of ...
Semiotica, 2007
This text has two parts. In the first section, we intend to define the narrative schema-the canon... more This text has two parts. In the first section, we intend to define the narrative schema-the canonical plot structure-as a symbolic form in Ernst Cassirer's sense of the term. This basically implies that the narrative schema is not an invariant higher order combinatorial form, but may itself be subject to variations in view of yielding specific meaning e¤ects. This is because the production and reception of a narrative is a dynamic process where physical forces, modal forces and intentions set up a space of possibilities for the narrative trajectory. We therefore propose a determination of the narrative schema in terms of 'force dynamics.' In the next section we proceed to an analysis of Ernst Hemingway's 'A Very Short Story' in order to illustrate this point. We lay down the main elements of its remarkable, if not simply outstanding both narrative and semantic-configurational structure: its plot structure is indeed driven by an inverted narrative schema and each significant event in the story but one (as well as each physical paragraph but one) has its rigorously symmetrical counterpart. Moreover, this inverted schema can be explained in terms of the modal forces at stake in the narrative.
Http Dx Doi Org 10 1080 03740463 2010 482316, Aug 1, 2010
The accuracy of the Content should not be relied upon and should be independently verified with p... more The accuracy of the Content should not be relied upon and should be independently verified with primary sources of information. Taylor and Francis shall not be liable for any losses, actions, claims, proceedings, demands, costs, expenses, damages, and other liabilities whatsoever or howsoever caused arising directly or indirectly in connection with, in relation to or arising out of the use of the Content. This article may be used for research, teaching, and private study purposes. Any substantial or systematic reproduction, redistribution, reselling, loan, sub-licensing, systematic supply, or distribution in any form to anyone is expressly forbidden.
Cognitive Semiotics, 2015
This article has a double scope. First, we consider the dynamics inherent in the emergence of gen... more This article has a double scope. First, we consider the dynamics inherent in the emergence of genres. Our view is that genres emerge relative to two sets of
Publié dans Recherches husserliennes (21), 2004 Ce texte poursuit deux objectifs. D'abord, no... more Publié dans Recherches husserliennes (21), 2004 Ce texte poursuit deux objectifs. D'abord, nous voudrions revenir sur des aspects à notre avis encore insuffisamment éclairés de la IV Recherche Logique (RL) de Husserl pour en préciser la teneur et l'enjeu ; ensuite, nous ferons un commentaire, critique, de quelques-uns des textes, très stimulants, que J. Benoist y a consacrés 1 . Cette double démarche nous permettra d'apprécier à leur juste valeur les aspects de l'analyse husserlienne qui non seulement ont été abandonnés in statu nascendi par leur auteur, mais ont été aussi très largement ignorés par plusieurs générations de commentateurs. Il s'agit, comme nous aurons l'occasion de le voir en détail, des éléments exposés dans la première partie de la Recherche qui visent à établir, dans le domaine du langage, un principe compositionnel proprement sémantique, c'est-à-dire un principe sous-tendant la configuration des parties linguistiques en un tout, en ver...
Phenomenology and the Cognitive Sciences, 2004
One of the central issues in linguistics is whether or not language should be considered a self-c... more One of the central issues in linguistics is whether or not language should be considered a self-contained, autonomous formal system, essentially reducible to the syntactic algorithms of meaning construction (as Chomskyan grammar would have it), or a holisticfunctional system serving the means of expressing pre-organized intentional contents and thus accessible only with respect to features and structures pertaining to other cognitive subsystems or to human experience as such (as Cognitive Linguistics would have it). The latter claim depends critically on the existence of principles governing the composition of semantic contents. Husserl's fourth Logical Investigation is well known as a genuine precursor for Chomskyan grammar. However, I will establish the heterogeneous character of the Investigation and show that the whole first part of it is devoted to the exposition of a semantic combinatorial system cognate to the one elaborated within cognitive linguistics. I will thus show how theoretical results in linguistics may serve to corroborate and shed light on those parts of Husserl's Fourth Investigation that have traditionally been dismissed as vague or simply ignored.
This paper introduces to the sources of René Thom's theory of meaning. It does so in an almos... more This paper introduces to the sources of René Thom's theory of meaning. It does so in an almost systematic, yet unhierarchical manner, by way of encyclopedic entries, as it were. However, the first four entries address the way in which Thom developed his catastrophe semiotics on grounds of his morphodynamical investigations in biology. This reflects, of course, our understanding of Thom's semiotics as being deeply rooted in his mathematical and biological thinking. We do evidently not claim to be exhaustive, as will be clear form our closing statements, but we do hope and aim to capture essential influences on René Thom's original, both genetical and structural determination of meaning, the nature of meaning, and the naturality of meaning – thereby also providing an understanding of the original synthesis which Thom's semiotics constructs from these sources.. Mathematics, Biology, and Meaning As an integral part of his famous Theory of Catastrophes, René Thom devel-op...
The following article is a fairly thorough introduction to Ernst Cassirer's theory of percept... more The following article is a fairly thorough introduction to Ernst Cassirer's theory of perception. It exposes the basic tenets of his concept of perceptual invariance and accounts for the formal analogies that justify his application of mathematical Group Theory on the domain of empircal perception. Finally, it points at certain limitations of Cassirer's approach and perspectivizes his lifelong project in the domain of perception with recent advances within morphodynamic theory.
Cognitive Semiotics, 2009
This article assesses two objections directed at Conceptual Metaphor Theory: (1) it is circular i... more This article assesses two objections directed at Conceptual Metaphor Theory: (1) it is circular in that it only provides linguistic evidence for the psychological reality of cross-domain mappings, intended to explain the empirical reality of metaphorical expressions in language; (2) it does not support the conclusion that the massive existence of metaphorical expressions in language reflects the metaphorical structuring of abstract concepts. It is my aim to disentangle these objections. Evidence abounds that makes the first objection obsolete, proving the psychological reality of cross-domain mappings. However, this does not imply that abstract concepts are metaphorically structured: experiments that prove objection (1) wrong cannot be invoked to reject objection (2). Some even tend to justify it.
Cognitive Semiotics, 2009
The present essay aims to explicate a key area of contemporary semiotics by laying bare the impor... more The present essay aims to explicate a key area of contemporary semiotics by laying bare the importance assigned to schematic representations in recent theories of meaning: so-called morphodynamic semiotics and cognitive linguistics. It suggests and gives evidence for the ...
Phenomenology and The Cognitive Sciences, Mar 3, 2014
ABSTRACT This article addresses the phenomenology of aesthetic experience. It first, critically, ... more ABSTRACT This article addresses the phenomenology of aesthetic experience. It first, critically, considers one of the most influential approaches to the psychophysics of aesthetic perception, viz. neuroaesthetics. Hereafter, it outlines constitutive tenets of aesthetic perception in terms of a particular intentional relation to the object. The argument comes in three steps. First, I show the inadequacies of the neuroaesthetics of beauty in general and Semir Zeki’s and V.J. Ramachandran’s versions of it in particular. The neuroaesthetics of beauty falls short, because it develops hypotheses of aesthetic experience which have no consequences for the understanding of what art is, that is, how artists produce visual meaning effects in their works. This is so because they make the rewarding feeling of beauty the cornerstone of aesthetic experience. Next, I show why and how aesthetic experience should be defined relative to its object and the tools for meaning-making specific to that object, and not relative to the feeling (of beauty) it may elicit. Finally, I sketch the import this fact may have on a research program in empirical aesthetics.
The New Yearbook for Phenomenology and Phenomenological Philosophy
Choice Reviews Online, 2010
Cognitive Semiotics
This text is a short intellectual biography written in memory of Per Aage Brandt (1944–2021). I p... more This text is a short intellectual biography written in memory of Per Aage Brandt (1944–2021). I present some of the main tenets of his scientific endeavor, artistic practice, and scholarly entrepreneurship.
Cognitive Semiotics
George Lakoff and Mark Johnson’s Conceptual Metaphor Theory is by and large a theory of what (abs... more George Lakoff and Mark Johnson’s Conceptual Metaphor Theory is by and large a theory of what (abstract) concepts are, how they are structured, and how this structure is acquired — i.e., by mapping of structure from one more concrete or sensory-motor specific domain to another more abstract domain. Conceptual metaphors therefore rest on “cross-domain mappings.” The claims to the effect that our abstract concepts are metaphorically structured and that cross-domain mappings constitute one of the fundamental cognitive meaning-making processes are empirical and can therefore be put to the test. In this paper, I will critically assess Conceptual Metaphor Theory as a theory of concepts in light of recent experimental findings. Many such findings provide evidence for the psychological reality of cross-domain mappings, i.e., that structure activated in one domain actually can perform cognitive tasks carried out in another domain. They do not, however, support the claim that the structure of ...
Semiotica, 2007
This text has two parts. In the first section, we intend to define the narrative schema-the canon... more This text has two parts. In the first section, we intend to define the narrative schema-the canonical plot structure-as a symbolic form in Ernst Cassirer's sense of the term. This basically implies that the narrative schema is not an invariant higher order combinatorial form, but may itself be subject to variations in view of yielding specific meaning e¤ects. This is because the production and reception of a narrative is a dynamic process where physical forces, modal forces and intentions set up a space of possibilities for the narrative trajectory. We therefore propose a determination of the narrative schema in terms of 'force dynamics.' In the next section we proceed to an analysis of Ernst Hemingway's 'A Very Short Story' in order to illustrate this point. We lay down the main elements of its remarkable, if not simply outstanding both narrative and semantic-configurational structure: its plot structure is indeed driven by an inverted narrative schema and each significant event in the story but one (as well as each physical paragraph but one) has its rigorously symmetrical counterpart. Moreover, this inverted schema can be explained in terms of the modal forces at stake in the narrative.
Http Dx Doi Org 10 1080 03740463 2010 482316, Aug 1, 2010
The accuracy of the Content should not be relied upon and should be independently verified with p... more The accuracy of the Content should not be relied upon and should be independently verified with primary sources of information. Taylor and Francis shall not be liable for any losses, actions, claims, proceedings, demands, costs, expenses, damages, and other liabilities whatsoever or howsoever caused arising directly or indirectly in connection with, in relation to or arising out of the use of the Content. This article may be used for research, teaching, and private study purposes. Any substantial or systematic reproduction, redistribution, reselling, loan, sub-licensing, systematic supply, or distribution in any form to anyone is expressly forbidden.
Cognitive Semiotics, 2015
This article has a double scope. First, we consider the dynamics inherent in the emergence of gen... more This article has a double scope. First, we consider the dynamics inherent in the emergence of genres. Our view is that genres emerge relative to two sets of
Publié dans Recherches husserliennes (21), 2004 Ce texte poursuit deux objectifs. D'abord, no... more Publié dans Recherches husserliennes (21), 2004 Ce texte poursuit deux objectifs. D'abord, nous voudrions revenir sur des aspects à notre avis encore insuffisamment éclairés de la IV Recherche Logique (RL) de Husserl pour en préciser la teneur et l'enjeu ; ensuite, nous ferons un commentaire, critique, de quelques-uns des textes, très stimulants, que J. Benoist y a consacrés 1 . Cette double démarche nous permettra d'apprécier à leur juste valeur les aspects de l'analyse husserlienne qui non seulement ont été abandonnés in statu nascendi par leur auteur, mais ont été aussi très largement ignorés par plusieurs générations de commentateurs. Il s'agit, comme nous aurons l'occasion de le voir en détail, des éléments exposés dans la première partie de la Recherche qui visent à établir, dans le domaine du langage, un principe compositionnel proprement sémantique, c'est-à-dire un principe sous-tendant la configuration des parties linguistiques en un tout, en ver...
Phenomenology and the Cognitive Sciences, 2004
One of the central issues in linguistics is whether or not language should be considered a self-c... more One of the central issues in linguistics is whether or not language should be considered a self-contained, autonomous formal system, essentially reducible to the syntactic algorithms of meaning construction (as Chomskyan grammar would have it), or a holisticfunctional system serving the means of expressing pre-organized intentional contents and thus accessible only with respect to features and structures pertaining to other cognitive subsystems or to human experience as such (as Cognitive Linguistics would have it). The latter claim depends critically on the existence of principles governing the composition of semantic contents. Husserl's fourth Logical Investigation is well known as a genuine precursor for Chomskyan grammar. However, I will establish the heterogeneous character of the Investigation and show that the whole first part of it is devoted to the exposition of a semantic combinatorial system cognate to the one elaborated within cognitive linguistics. I will thus show how theoretical results in linguistics may serve to corroborate and shed light on those parts of Husserl's Fourth Investigation that have traditionally been dismissed as vague or simply ignored.
This paper introduces to the sources of René Thom's theory of meaning. It does so in an almos... more This paper introduces to the sources of René Thom's theory of meaning. It does so in an almost systematic, yet unhierarchical manner, by way of encyclopedic entries, as it were. However, the first four entries address the way in which Thom developed his catastrophe semiotics on grounds of his morphodynamical investigations in biology. This reflects, of course, our understanding of Thom's semiotics as being deeply rooted in his mathematical and biological thinking. We do evidently not claim to be exhaustive, as will be clear form our closing statements, but we do hope and aim to capture essential influences on René Thom's original, both genetical and structural determination of meaning, the nature of meaning, and the naturality of meaning – thereby also providing an understanding of the original synthesis which Thom's semiotics constructs from these sources.. Mathematics, Biology, and Meaning As an integral part of his famous Theory of Catastrophes, René Thom devel-op...
The following article is a fairly thorough introduction to Ernst Cassirer's theory of percept... more The following article is a fairly thorough introduction to Ernst Cassirer's theory of perception. It exposes the basic tenets of his concept of perceptual invariance and accounts for the formal analogies that justify his application of mathematical Group Theory on the domain of empircal perception. Finally, it points at certain limitations of Cassirer's approach and perspectivizes his lifelong project in the domain of perception with recent advances within morphodynamic theory.
Cognitive Semiotics, 2009
This article assesses two objections directed at Conceptual Metaphor Theory: (1) it is circular i... more This article assesses two objections directed at Conceptual Metaphor Theory: (1) it is circular in that it only provides linguistic evidence for the psychological reality of cross-domain mappings, intended to explain the empirical reality of metaphorical expressions in language; (2) it does not support the conclusion that the massive existence of metaphorical expressions in language reflects the metaphorical structuring of abstract concepts. It is my aim to disentangle these objections. Evidence abounds that makes the first objection obsolete, proving the psychological reality of cross-domain mappings. However, this does not imply that abstract concepts are metaphorically structured: experiments that prove objection (1) wrong cannot be invoked to reject objection (2). Some even tend to justify it.
Cognitive Semiotics, 2009