Rocco Gangle - Peirce and Semiotic Immanence

Apr 28, 2025

Rocco Gangle, a philosopher focused on metaphysics and semiotics, discusses his book, exploring Peirce's concepts of firstness, secondness, and thirdness. He delves into the playful dynamics of category theory, emphasizing its ethical implications and connection to contemporary thought. Gangle also connects Peirce's semiotic theories to themes from 'Dune,' highlighting the intricate relationships between signs and reality. The conversation underscores the evolving notion of agency in technical objects and the role of diagrams in philosophy, reshaping how we understand knowledge and ethics.

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ANECDOTE

Gangle's Encounter With Badiou

Rocco Gangle shared a story about meeting Alain Badiou during grad school and discussing category theory's effectiveness.
Badiou revealed he had been working on similar ideas for five years, surprising Gangle.

INSIGHT

Diagrams as Immanence Portals

Diagrams act as portals into imminence, integrating mind and world without separation.
This dynamic reasoning tool reflects how we process relationships beyond mere representation.

INSIGHT

Peirce's Triadic Categories

Peirce proposes firstness, secondness, and thirdness as primitive ontological categories essential for thinking.
These categories frame possibilities, actualities, and regularities that underpin experience and metaphysics.

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On the Mode of Existence of Technical Objects

Gilbert Simondon

Diagrammatic Immanence: Category Theory and Philosophy

Jonathon "Rocco" Gangle

Briefings on existence

a short treatise on transitory ontology

Alain Badiou

Proust and Signs

Gilles Deleuze

Logics of Worlds

Alain Badiou

Conceptual Mathematics

Stephen Chenewell

William Lawvere

Being and Event

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Alain Badiou

Alain Badiou's "Being and Event" is a significant work in contemporary philosophy, exploring the relationship between ontology and mathematics. Badiou develops a unique ontological framework based on set theory, arguing that mathematics provides a fundamental model for understanding Being. He introduces the concept of the event as a rupture in the existing order of Being, creating new possibilities and transformations. The book is characterized by its rigorous philosophical argumentation and its innovative approach to ontology. Its influence extends across various fields, shaping discussions on ontology, politics, and the nature of truth.

A Thousand Plateaus

Capitalism and Schizophrenia

Félix Guattari

Gilles Deleuze

A Thousand Plateaus is a key text in the 'Capitalism and Schizophrenia' series by Gilles Deleuze and Félix Guattari. It advances a unique philosophical approach that draws from but critiques both Freudian and Marxist theories. The book is structured as a series of 'plateaus' that can be read in any order, each exploring different concepts such as rhizomes, stratification, and the distinction between smooth and striated space. It is essential reading for those interested in critical theory, feminism, literary theory, and contemporary Western culture.

Dune Messiah

Frank Herbert

Dune Messiah takes place twelve years after the events of Dune and follows Paul 'Muad'Dib' Atreides as he rules as Emperor. Despite his immense power, Paul is trapped by the consequences of his prescient visions and the religious fervor he has unleashed. The novel explores themes of destiny, power, and the moral dilemmas faced by Paul as he tries to steer humanity towards a less catastrophic future. It involves a complex web of conspiracies, including a plot by a Bene Gesserit priestess, a rogue Navigator, and a Face Dancer, which threatens Paul's rule and his personal life. The book delves into the tragic aspects of Paul's life, his relationship with his sister Alia, and the eventual downfall that he foresaw and could not prevent[2][3][4].

Dune

Frank Herbert

Dune, written by Frank Herbert, is set in a feudal interstellar society where noble houses control planetary fiefs. The story follows Paul Atreides, whose family is tasked with ruling the inhospitable desert planet Arrakis, the sole source of melange, a substance crucial for extending life and enhancing mental abilities. The novel delves into the intricate politics, religion, ecology, and technology of this futuristic world, as various factions vie for control of Arrakis and its valuable spice. Paul, with his unique abilities and training by the Bene Gesserit, becomes a key figure in this struggle and eventually assumes the role of a messianic leader among the native Fremen people[2][5][4].