Revisiting the key concepts of the theory of signs of Charles Peirce and Charles Morris

The article discusses the basic concepts of the theory of signs, introduced into science by its founders Charles Peirce and Ferdinand de Saussure, these concepts were later developed within the framework of semiotic science in the studies of Charles Morris and other scholars. Peirce's theory of signs, or semiotics, was based on his critique of Cartesian nominalism with its emphasis on individual intuition as the basis of knowledge. Peirce advocated for semiosis or triadic mediation as the only source and goal of knowledge in contrast to direct knowledge. Morris, in turn, attempted to synthesize pragmatism and logical positivism to create a new metascience that might be called semiotic. Morris's semiotics offers a general description of the sign in relation to everything that belongs to the world of life. He sought to develop an approach to semiotics that encompassed all types of signs. To this end, Morris constructed his terminology within a strictly biological framework, expounded in his book “Signs, Language and Behavior” (1946). The result of Morris's attempt of synthesis was a philosophy that combined the basic framework of logical positivism with elements of Peirce's semiotic vocabulary and restored Cartesian intuitionism.