Percy-L: Literary, Religious, Scientific, and Philosophical Discussion of Walker Percy

[John Harvey <johnharvey AT earthlink.net>]

Robert Eckert, List

At 06:42 PM 5/5/2007 -0600, Spc Robert Eckert wrote:

> I'm going on memory here-- I'm
> pretty sure "A Semiotic Primer of the Self" speaks to this
> connection [between symbol use and triadic threshold].

A quick Google search revealed that this essay is included in Lost in
the Cosmos which I just ordered so I could participate in the
seminar/discussion at
www.korrekiv.org.

>  The origin of symbol use
> is identical to the crossing of the triadic threshold. At some point our
> brain evolved the ability to synthesize the triadic relation between
> signifier and signified, linguistic signs and their referents. At that
> point we evolved a new mode of being.
>
> I tried dealing with this subject in "Walker Percy and the Mind/Body
> Problem'  June 1999 International Philosophical Quarterly.
> [shameless self-promotion] Pretty naive writing on subjects I didn't
> really understand.
>
> I know Percy deals with the subject in essays in The Message in the
> Bottle also.
>
> This triadic threshold question is THE question. I have to think that
> understanding where we come from will help us know where we are
> going.

Although I agree with your sentiments, I would put greater emphasis on
our future. I believe that THE question is learning how to build secure
bridges across Percy's Fateful Rift. Of course, understanding the triadic
threshold is necessary for interpreting this rift properly and building
secure bridges on a firm foundation. That is the reason I am trying to
get a handle on your comments.

Thanks for your suggestions. I am just beginning to retrain my dyadic
eyes to see the triadic forest through what appear to be dyadic
trees.

Respectfully,

John