On Signs
Description
Roger Bacon's Opus maius represents an attempt to create a whole new vision of what Christian education should be, one centered on service to the Church. One chapter of this work, "On Signs," is the most comprehensive and innovative treatise on semiotics in the thirteenth century. To understand the myriad ways in which things and words signify, Bacon says, is "a thing of marvelous usefulness and beauty."
Reviews
"Bacon's De signis is one of the most important discussions of semiotics in the thirteenth century, both thorough and innovative in its account of the types of signs; the relationship between words, things and mental representations; and the types of analogy and equivocation. Maloney's valuable introduction places the work within Bacon's corpus and provides a guide to the difficult text, demonstrating the significance and originality of Bacon's distinctions and positions. The translation is both readable and literal, making it an excellent resource for beginning students as well as scholars of medieval philosophy. From the notes on the text, giving Bacon's sources and glossing dense passages, to the insights into his character and projects, this volume makes an important contribution to our understanding of an enigmatic major figure of the middle ages." --Eileen Carroll Sweeney, Boston College