Reflexionstheoretische Semiotik, Teil 1: Handlungstheorie

The original source text of Johannes Heinrichs’ theory of action — in its first version of 1980. This first volume of “Reflexion-Theoretical Semiotics” develops a philosophical theory of action which, by his provocative opening thesis, did not properly exist before.

Heinrichs’ core idea: action, language, art, and mysticism form the four great levels of reflexion of human meaning-processes — each building on and integrating the previous one. This volume addresses the most fundamental level, action: it develops a reflexive concept of action (action as practical reflexion) and from it a “periodic system” of types of action — a complete typology of objective, inner-subjective, social, and expressive action, from bodily doing through labour and strategic action to sign-action, which passes over into language.

Who this volume is for

This is a work for specialists, collectors, and Heinrichs scholars — the historical source text, not the most accessible presentation. Readers who want to encounter the content of Heinrichs’ theory of action will find it in a more modern, fuller, and updated form in his book “Handlungen” (Actions, 2007).

The appeal of this first edition lies elsewhere: in the origin. Here one reads Heinrichs’ thought in its early shape, in the characteristic style of late-1970s and 1980s German academic philosophy. A cornerstone for the history of the work; for anyone wishing to cite it or trace its development, the source itself.

About this edition: Unlike the other volumes in this series, this is not a facsimile of the original print, but a volume newly typeset from the author’s surviving manuscript file. Page numbering and page breaks run throughout, so citation by page is reliable.

Reflexivity Press · Collected Works Vol. 5 · 192 pages · First published 1980 (Bouvier Verlag, Bonn)

Bibliography

Year

2025

Series

Gesammelte Werke (Volume 5)

License

Copyright

Where to Buy

Price: 19.90 EUR/USD

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