Finite Semiotics: A New Theory of Semiotics With Applications to Information Technology
Cameron Shackell · Queensland University of Technology · 2019
This study presents a new theory of semiotics (the study of signs). The theory, called finite semiotics, proposes that the growing effects and challenges of technology, as well as signs themselves, can be better understood by examining our cognition in finite, quantitative terms. Two illustrative applications of the theory are developed. The first addresses the ethical problem of accountability for technology's effects by introducing a new concept of cognitive externalities. The second derives a computational method for automating opposition analysis, a technique central to applied semiotics.