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CFP: Eco and Pragmatism
EJPAP X, 1, 2018 – CALL FOR PAPERS
ECO AND PRAGMATISM
European Journal of Pragmatism and American Philosophy, Volume 10, No 1, 2018
Guest Editor: Claudio Paolucci
EJPAP shall devote a special issue of the journal to Umberto Eco’s pragmatism.
As is known, the relation with Pragmatism was at the core of Eco’s aesthetics, semiotics, epistemology, and it was also a pivotal feature of his theory of culture as developed in over fifty years of philosophical and non-philosophical work.
Eco’s philosophy and semiotics were inspired by C.S. Peirce’s pragmatism, and his theoretical debts to Peirce are scattered throughout his work. Moreover, his entire theoretical production shows an unequivocal pragmatist mark, and many of his considerations on meaning, text, and interpretation have recognizable pragmatist outcomes.
Therefore, EJPAP welcomes the submission of papers dealing with the following topics:
– Eco, Peirce, and Pragmatism
As said, throughout his many writings Eco often took Peirce’s thought as a point of reference. Moreover, and perhaps even more interestingly, Eco’s considerations embody insightful reassessments or new formulations of pragmatist themes. Thus, EJPAP welcomes the submission of papers on the relation between Eco and the pragmatist philosophers he took inspiration from. Papers on Eco’s pragmatist answers to the various philosophical problems are welcomed as well.
– Aesthetics and Pragmatism
In his philosophical autobiography, Eco reminded that the reading of Dewey’s Art and Experiencerepresented a fundamental experience for him, since it fostered his departure from Croce’s aesthetics, which was prevailing at that time. EJPAP welcomes contributions investigating the relation between Aesthetics and Pragmatism, with reference to Eco’s philosophical and non-philosophical work alike.
– Interpretation, Action, and Cognition
The most important feature of the relation between Eco’s thought and pragmatist philosophy probably hinges on Eco dialogue with Peirce’s over the issues of interpretation and cognition. According to Eco, as well to Peirce, thinking and knowing are complex forms of mediated action, performed thanks to the filtering of interpretants. Papers on the relation between action, interpretation and cognition are thus welcomed – in particular, papers focused on the relation between Pragmatism and Semiotics.
– Textuality, Translation, and Interpretation
In virtue of the pivotal relevance of the category of “mediation”, interpreted as a “sign”, Eco put a lot of effort into the elaboration of a textual pragmatics inspired by pragmatism. Books as Lector in fabula (The Role of the Reader), I limiti dell’interpretazione (The Limitis of Interpretation), and Dire quasi la stessa cosa (Experiences in Translation) are the direct fruits of this very project. According to Eco, texts are units of mediation through which we have access to reality. For Eco, the way we deal with the interpretation of texts is grounded in pragmatist principles, such as “economical criteria”, the relation between intention operis and intention lectoris, and the critical handling of the interpretative habits needed to guide our semantic perception. Works that aim to deepen the pragmatist outcomes of Eco’s considerations on textuality, translation and interpretation will then be considered as well.
– Pragmatist philosophy and novels
In his novels, Eco is renewed to stage various “theoretical tangles” that cannot be dealt with the language of theory. This is clearly expressed by the famous imperative with which Il nome della rosa (The Name of the Rose) begins: “Whereof one cannot theorize, thereof one must narrate”. EJPAP welcomes the submission of papers aimed at deepening this further aspect of Eco’s thought.
Papers submission deadline: 20/08/2017. Acceptance will be notified by 20/09/2017.
Papers should be sent to c.paolucci [at] unibo.it