Charles Sanders Peirce

• Charles S Peirce was born September 10th 1839. He studied at Harvard University, and got a degree in Chemistry. However he never took his academic career further because he was a possible manic depressive and had a series of scandals around his life. He had no children but followed a career in Maths, Philosophy and was a logician.

Piece’s Argument

• “Every thought is a sign and every act or reasoning consists of the interpretation of signs”

• “Signs function as mediators between the external world of objects and the internal world or ideas”

• “Semiosis is the process of co-operation between signs, their objects and their interpretants”

• “Every thought is a sign and every act or reasoning consists of the interpretation of signs”

sign

= cute

Intelligent?

Smartly dressed for a job?

Smartly dressed for court?

Going to a Wedding? Or Funeral?

• “Signs function as mediators between the external world of objects and the internal world or ideas”

= sign = stop at the lights

Signs relate the object of the red high heel with the idea of a certain type of woman.

• “Semiosis is the process of co-operation between signs, their objects and their interpretants”

• Objects + signs + interpretants = Semiosis

End of War or conflict

Drugs for medical reasons?Addiction?

Relevance to Media

• Film directors and Magazine editors use the link between sign, object and interpreter to create messages to the audience. How the audience read the signs of certain models/actors, forms their idea of the product, model or character and will either make the audience feel sympathy or desire

• E.g darker colours of costume to represent evil, and brighter colour costume to represent good. Or if the editor of a magazine wish to show that the model is fun and bubbly, certain props and lighting will be used to that personality trait.

How cultural messages change signs

Past Present

A successful man in the 80’s was known to have an high education to become successful

Society changes the way media present success and other messages to fit with the times and new meanings.

However, presently a successfulman will be known to have a flash car or to have a beautiful wife with money.