Charles Sanders Peirce, the Extraordinary Moment, and Musical Affect
C. S. Peirce's theories of semiotics and continuity provide the basis for an answer as to how and why we perceive 'new' things, especially with regard to artistic discourse. By breaking down so-called 'extraordinary' moments into various categories of signs, and by considering the overlapping aspects between categories, one can come to a general understanding of such disparate phenomena as musical affect, the quality of email, and deja vu. The differences of artistic practice can be fruitfully analyzed using two concepts derived from the semiotic categories, and from the consideration that sign types as previously considered showed little concern for the effects of semiotic development from one type to the next. These concepts---empathy and resistance---therefore form the foundation of an inquiry into the wide range of habits that various artistic activities effect. In light of these phenomena, certain pathologies---iconic substitution, indexical particularism, and symbolic disconnection---can be identified as the result of favoring one type of sign over another, which should typically cause a change in habits. In conclusion, the study of 'extraordinary' moments suggests a view of reality based on the semiotic process and on the ebb and flow of the possible and actual, the blend of which, and the degree of simultaneity between, defines the bounds for cognitive experience.
University of Illinois - Urbana-Champaign
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University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign