Semiotic studies
The journal "Semiotic studies" (Semioticheskie issledovanija) is a scientific periodical highlighting the issues of general semiotics and adjacent disciplines. The sign, sign process and its agenda, significs (semantics), syntactics and pragmatics as the measurements of semiosis, material realization of a sign - the research areas of the published papers.
The journal is focused on the interdisciplinary synthesis of theoretical and practical knowledge implemented within the framework of philosophy, literature studies and sociology.
The aim of the journal is studying, implementing and promoting the semiotic approach to researching into the reality.
The objectives of the journal – developing the international, interdisciplinary research space in terms and models of general semiotics, maintaining the current state of the classical heritage and new ideas' testing of semiotic thought, developing and application of semiotic analysis and interpretation patterns in philosophical, literature and sociological knowledge.
The journal is included by the Higher Attestation Commission of the Russian Federation into the list of peer-reviewed scientific publications, where the main scientific results of theses for the Candidate of Sciences degree, for the Doctor of Sciences degree should be published starting 31.05.2023. The journal is included into the RSCI bibliographic database (eLIBRARY.ru Public Electronic Library).
Articles are assigned a DOI identifier.
The mass media registration certificate ПИ No. ФС77-79678 as of 27.11.2010 is issued by the Federal Service for Supervision of Communications, Information Technology and Mass Media.
Journal founder Samara National Research University
Business model: the journal is financed by the founder, all articles are published free of charge.
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Current Issue
Vol 4, No 4 (2024)
- Year: 2024
- Articles: 17
- URL: https://journals.ssau.ru/semiotic/issue/view/681
Full Issue
PHILOSOPHY
Robinsonade of fictional objects and the poverty of arbitrary objects
Abstract
The paper is devoted to the consideration of the conception of fictional objects as objects with the finite set of special (non-generic) properties. The paper provides a formulation of this concept, and compares fictional objects with arbitrary objects and real objects in the context of their possessing of generic and non-generic properties, as well as in the context of the existence of these objects in the actual world and in possible worlds. The paper ends with a discussion of several comments related to the mentioned conception of fictional objects, which were proposed after a talk on this topic at the 7th Lem’s Readings conference.
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Can definite descriptions be used as proper names?
Abstract
Referential use of definite descriptions in Donnellan’s sense can be accounted for in semantic and pragmatic terms. One of the semantic accounts was outlined by Kaplan and elaborated in detail by Marti. According to their theory, when a definite description is used referentially, (1) it is used as a throw-away proper name, and (2) its attributive semantic content loses any semantic relevance. (In this theory, proper names are treated as directly referring devices.) The paper presents a criticism of this view. I argue that in typical cases of referential use, the attributive semantic content of a definite description is pragmatically relevant, and because of this, only subsequent use can show its semantical irrelevance. But the subsequent use is possible only for stable names, not for throwaway names. Thus, (2) can only be grounded by evidence that (1) excludes, which undermines the empirical basis of the theory in question. I conclude that this theory has no advantage over the pragmatic account of referential use, and that the pragmatic account is preferable for reasons of parsimony.
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Elzenberg, Wolniewicz and Lem
Abstract
The article provides basic information about the biographies and philosophical legacy of some of the greatest Polish philosophers of the 20th and early 21st centuries. Wolniewicz was a student of Elsenberg and declared repeatedly that he regarded Lem as one of the greatest philosophers of our time, while Lem kept on his philosophical bookshelves at home Wolniewicz’s monograph Things and Facts (1968) and Wittgenstein’s Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus in Wolniewicz’s translation (1970).
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"Consciousness of machines" (1957, 1963) by Gotthard Günter and the new technocratic paradigm in Germany
Abstract
This article introduces the main philosophical work of the German-American philosopher and cyberneticist Gotthard Günther (1900–1984), The Consciousness of Machines, and considers its second edition as a transitional moment in the debate on technology in Germany. The article presents Günther’s philosophy of technology, which is based on the concept of transclassical cybernetics and reflects the relevance of the technocratic agenda in the USA and the USSR in the 1950s and, with a lag of one decade, in Western Europe and, in particular, in the Federal Republic of Germany in the 1960s. Günther’s view of technology differs from the post-war techno-pessimistic views of German philosophers and sociologists in that it attempts to overcome the classical dichotomies of spirit and nature, subject and object, consciousness and matter. Günther also goes beyond A. Gehlen’s interpretation of technology as a consequence of the compensation for the defects of the human being. According to Günther, technology acquires a completely new function, becoming “another technology”. It is no longer a compensation for organic shortcomings, its purpose is no longer a mastery of nature or even an intermediary between man and nature, limited by the possibilities of engineering science, but a general theory of all systems, physical and spiritual, a “mirror” of the otherness and diversity of people, their autonomy and sovereignty.
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From fantasy to sci-fi: social aspects of reflection of science in literature on the example of the Strugatsky brothers and Elizer Yudkowsky
Abstract
The work raises the issue of the popularity of science in modern science fiction literature. It defines science fiction and fantasy from the standpoint of social philosophy. It reveals the social aspects that influence the formation of the author's concepts using the example of the Strugatskys and Yudkowsky. It analyzes the methods of presenting literary history as an enhancing factor in the reflection of science.
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LITERATURE STUDIES
Some aspects of extraterrestrial life in science fiction
Abstract
The purpose of the article is to trace how science fiction deals with the theme of otherness in terms of the interaction between the concepts of aliens and earthlings, resulting in the perception of earthlings as aliens. Until now, this approach has not been used. The research was conducted on a wide range of science fiction authors, including S. de Bergerac, F. Godwin, H. Wells, H. P. Lovecraft, I. Yefremov, R. Heinlein, R. Bradbury, J. Corey, S. Lem, the Strugatsky brothers, N. Stephenson, P. Watts. Comparative motif analysis was used. The article notes that the concept of aliens in science fiction can develop in two directions. They can be seen as creatures similar to earthlings in physical and psychological aspects (a type of neighbor /inhabitant of another village), contact with them is possible and beneficial. Alternatively, they can be portrayed as completely different and terrifying creatures (a type of monster), contact with them is deadly or impossible. In science fiction, earthlings who have undergone some kind of mutation may be considered as “the different others”, even aliens. A characteristic feature of homo alius in science fiction is their language, which is presented as equally mutated through hybridization. The way that homo alius is perceived in relation to normal human beings in science fiction is always ambiguous, leading to a variety of relationships between the concepts within the semantic field of “friend or foe”.
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Intertextuality in the book by Pavel Ulitin "Makarov scratches the back of his head"
Abstract
The article attempts to analyze the ways of representing intertextuality using the book Makarov Scratches His Head by Pavel Ulitin as the material. The contextual method was employed to interpret the role of intertextuality during the research. Two most numerous groups of intertextual units were identified: intertextual inclusions in the form of proper names with precedent and intertextual inclusions from the variety of literary texts. These intertextual inclusions belong to various cultures: European, Russian, American, Chinese, and others. The broad cultural and historical context is further supplemented by intertextual inclusions in German, English, French, and Polish, which complicates the automatic perception of the text. Not all intertextual units referring to literary works are easy to identify while reading, as they correspond to the reproduced pretext to varying degrees. Intertextual inclusions acquire new shades of meaning, sometimes very personal ones. This complex text, constructed like a mosaic from his own and other people’s phrases, voices, and memories, with numerous intertextual units, serves as an example of the unique style of the writer. By using different voices and intertext as part of a hidden narrative and a means of self-censorship, Ulitin creates a coded text that does not appeal to the reader.
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Artificial laughter: V. Pelevin’s "iPhuck 10"
Abstract
The article is an attempt at studying the laughter of AI in V. Pelevin’s novel "iPhuck 10"(2017). Porfiry Petrovich’s laughter is examined from two angles, from its semantics and from its pragmatics. The problem of AI laughter in the novel leads not only to considering the possible capabilities of future AI, but also to the revelation of how laughter becomes a special kind of reality formation. The comic traits of Pelevin's hero are revealed by examining him based on modern AI models of laughter, the main feature of which is feigned humanity. By violating the reader's expectations on how he should behave, and by parodying his literary prototype, Porfiry creates a pretext for the reader to laugh. The second part of the article focuses on the meaning of Porfiry’s laughter in the novel. The apparent absence of the author due to the fact that he is an algorithm is refuted in the analysis, after which another narrator is revealed who controls Porfiry’s narrative. Playing with the author's death allows Porfiry to fit into the false image of a writer who supports freedom and resists authority. The analysis of laughter as a narration event helps identify how Porfiry's laughter becomes a propaganda tool. Porfiry mocks those who break the law and turns their crimes into funny stories, but his "mirthful" laughter allows him to fool the reader and makes him see the world the way he wants to.
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Toponyms as a way of organizing artistic space in the novel by Georgy Venus "Finches in Armor"
Abstract
Georgy Davydovich Venus is a Russian Soviet writer whose name has been little studied by literary scholars, but his prose continues to be of great interest. The author's works were published during his lifetime and continued to be published after his rehabilitation. The experience of participating in two wars, World War I and the Civil War, and life in exile form the basis of Georgy Venus's prose work. The center of his epic work are the novels: "War and People" (1925), "Steel Helmet" (1927), "Finns in Armor" (1928), they make up a kind of trilogy. The writer perceives the First World War and the Civil War as a tragedy for the country and all of humanity.
The architecture of Georgy Venus's novel "Finns in Armor" is very complex. An important aspect of the composition is the technique of montage, which transfers the heroes and readers to places of military action, to the deep rear, to Petrograd, to the remote provinces. The novel has a very weak connection to historical time, geographical space, the context of a certain era, and details acquire great weight in it. An important role in the organization of the novel's artistic space is played by toponyms, which have a special meaning in the work. We turn to such detailing of the artistic space due to the toponyms found in the novel. The events taking place in the rear unfold in many locations: in Syzran, in Buzuluk, in the Volyn province, in Petrograd. In the article, we turn to the space of the novel through the concept of "vertical context", namely, to the "social and historical context", which in turn allows us to reveal the atmosphere, the spirit of the era reflected in the work.
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SOCIOLOGY
Transformation of the subject field of Russian sociology of labor: from a system of labor relations to the constructivist perspective
Abstract
The article is devoted to the processes of transformation of the content and boundaries of the subject field of Russian sociology of labor, which occurred from the late 1980s to the present. To achieve this goal, the tasks are solved, consisting in the analysis of scientific and educational literature on the subject of labor sociology; the description of the main methodological approaches to the study of labor relations; the construction of the content of the subject field of labor sociology from the standpoint of the latest concepts of the sociology of life and the existing experience of the Samara School of Sociology of Labor. It is emphasized that in Russian literature there are at least six approaches to the consideration of the subject of sociology of labor, which are mainly based on the systemic approach that prevailed back in Soviet times. In terms of content, one or another aspect of social interaction in the field of work is most often declared the subject of labor sociology: 1) the attitude of society to work (work as a social phenomenon), 2) relations between participants in the labor process (labor relations), 3) the attitude of participants in the labor process to their work. The methodical and methodological difficulties of analyzing labor relations are associated with the existence of many overlapping and contradictory approaches within the directions of sociological realism, nominalism and constructivism, which interpret both their content and the factors influencing them in different ways. The most promising direction of modern analysis of labor relations is the application of the constructivist concept of the sociology of life, in which labor relations can be considered as a synthesizing (unifying) concept in relation to the key components of the employee's life world (labor consciousness, labor behavior and the work environment), which in turn consist of a number of elementary concepts (labor motivation, social well-being, social tension, involvement in labor activity) in the space of the social and labor sphere of society (a structure-forming concept). Based on the experience of empirical research accumulated during the post-Soviet period and using new theoretical foundations, the main directions of modern research in the subject field of Russian sociology of labor are: 1) study of the behavior and life world of subjects of labor relations in conditions of precarious employment, 2) analysis of the content and composition of participants (subjects) of labor relations, 3) problems of inequality and social justice in conditions of everyday labor interactions.
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La protection sociale des participants à l'opération militaire spéciale et des membres de leurs familles
Abstract
Cet article analyse, sur la base des résultats d'une étude, les problèmes liés à l'obtention de diverses mesures de soutien social par les participants à l'opération militaire spéciale et les membres de leurs familles. L'accent est mis sur les difficultés rencontrées par les participants à l'opération militaire spéciale, notamment les charges psychologiques, sociales et physiques. La majorité des répondants disposent d'informations partielles sur les mesures de soutien social et rencontrent des difficultés dans les démarches administratives pour bénéficier de l'aide sociale. Un tiers des personnes interrogées s'adressent directement aux organismes publics de protection sociale, tandis que beaucoup de gens préfèrent communiquer en ligne (principalement via le portail des services publics). Malgré les inconvénients de l'interaction en ligne comme hors ligne, tous les répondants ont bénéficié des mesures de soutien social auxquelles ils s'attendaient. Une demande particulièrement forte concerne l'organisation de traitements en sanatorium et de soins psychologiques et psychothérapeutiques. L'article souligne la nécessité d'améliorer l'accès aux aides sociales pour les participants à l'opération militaire spéciale et les membres de leurs familles. Le développement d'une plateforme web pourrait simplifier le processus de dépôt des demandes et élargir l'accès à diverses mesures de soutien social.
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Horizontal mobility and possibilities of its actualization
Abstract
Social mobility in literature and scientific works is often associated with one of its sides - vertical mobility. Naturally, the issues related to the class structure of society and the change of status are of greater research interest than those focused on the description of general quantitative statistics. Despite the formal role of horizontal mobility as a less meaningful area of stratification, it can be used to obtain no less interesting information about the dynamics of society as a whole, and about the private principles of social institutions. This paper attempts to describe in detail the main provisions of P. Sorokin on the structure of horizontal mobility and its relevance. First, his initial ideas about social groupings are given and the differences in their types are shown, and then the main types of social mobility are presented, as well as the limits of their applicability in the context of vertical and horizontal mobility. After highlighting the main content of horizontal mobility, the paper analyzes the current state of this area of research. The main problems in distinguishing between vertical and horizontal mobility are noted, and what possible solutions to the dichotomy can be. It also shows which modern theoretical research directions the study of horizontal mobility is connected with.
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Family values: youth’s attitudes vs older generation
Abstract
The article presents the results of the sociological research conducted in 2024 and based on a qualitative methodology (18 in-depth interviews), all-Russian survey data, as well as research made by Russian scientists. The main purpose of the study is to identify the attitudes of young generations (aged 18-35) and older people (aged 60+) to marriage, family, children, divorce, use of digital technologies based on a comparative analysis. The results of the study show that the assertion that exists in public discourse about the loss of “traditional family values” by the younger generation is premature; rather, we should talk about their transformation in the context of the political and economic crisis under the influence of a higher degree of responsibility of young people in creating their own family and having children, pragmatism, and a critical assessment of their own capabilities. Currently, the problems of the older people are increasingly included in the agenda of modern state social policy in order to include them in various types of activities (education, mentoring, volunteering) to overcome loneliness, prevent destructive age-related phenomena, maintain physical and mental health, increase life expectancy, improve adaptive capabilities, which allows maintaining the connection between generations in difficult socio-economic and political conditions.
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INTERDISCIPLINARY STUDIES
Stanislav Lem and Ivan Yefremov: a failed meeting
Abstract
Two outstanding science fiction writers and social thinkers, Ivan Yefremov and Stanislav Lem, never met in person or corresponded, although they had many mutual acquaintances and closely followed each other's publications. The purpose of the article is to identify possible reasons for the failed meeting
(I. Yefremov's illness, rumors about S. Lem's "arrogance," etc.). The research methods include an analysis of the correspondence, fiction, and memoirs of I. Yefremov, Stanislav Lem, and people from their close circle. The author concludes that the underlying reason for Yefremov's refusal to contact Lem was the discrepancy in their ideological views on the main issues that both Yefremov and Lem considered in their works: the essence of man, his predisposition to good or evil, and man's place in space. I. Yefremov was an anthropological optimist, convinced that man is basically good, and that manifestations of evil are connected with improper upbringing and a bad social structure. S. Lem, on the contrary, was an anthropological pessimist, believing that human nature has an inherent tendency towards evil (anthropological Manichaeism), which is partly restrained by heredity and upbringing. Unlike Yefremov, Lem was pessimistic about the possibility of establishing contact with extraterrestrial intelligence, and, as a rationalist and neopositivist, was skeptical about occultism and paranormal phenomena.
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REVIWES
Tolstoy's time. Review of the issue of the 4th scientific collection "Alexey Tolstoy: dialogues with time" (Moscow: IMLI RAS, 2024) and volume 1 of the Complete Works of A.N. Tolstoy (Moscow: IMLI RAS, 2024)
Abstract
The article is a review of the publications: Alexey Tolstoy: dialogues with time. Issue 4 / ed. by G.N. Vorontsovа; comp. by A.S. Akimovа (Moscow: IMLI RAS, 2024) and Tolstoy A.N. Complete works. Works of art: in 13 volumes (Moscow: IMLI RAS, 2024). These publications, on the one hand, summarize the results of the extensive research work of the past decades, and on the other hand, set tasks and outline prospects for future research. In the first of the collections, the most fundamental studies are presented by
A.M. Gracheva, who raised the question of the originality of the author's position in the Russian realistic novel of the 1910s and O.V. Bystrova, who analyzed the peculiarities of the organization of artistic space in the novel "Aelita". The scientific research of I.N. Tolstoy and E.D. Tolstoy, as well as the section of the collection devoted to the novel "Peter the Great", are also interesting. Separately, the review analyzes the "Samara line" of the collection, which often acts as a "code" in it. Of great importance for Tolstoy's science is the publication of the first volume of the Complete Works of the writer, representing Tolstoy in a broader biographical, socio-cultural, historical and literary contexts, which meets the requirements of today.
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On social and philosophical problems of technology. Review of the monograph-essay by N.M. Tverdynin "Man in the technoworld: book and reality"
Abstract
The introductory part of the review provides a description of a new genre of research into the problems of the philosophy of technology. The main part of the review is devoted to examining the structure of the work, which includes an analysis of technical devices emerging in the history of human society and an assessment of their application through the prism of literature; excerpts from the story "After the Feat" about the liquidators of the Chernobyl accident; a study of the dilemma of technocracy and technophobia. It is important to consider three levels of technical creativity: rationalization, invention, scientific and technical creativity. Measures of social support for the revival of inventive and scientific and technical activities are proposed.
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