Semiotic System as a System of Pure Difference

Structuralism and post-structuralism are discussed, with a focus on the main proponents, Saussure and Levi-Strauss. Saussure argues that semiotic systems operate through differences rather than reference, and that signifiers are defined in relation to each other. He downplays the importance of the referent and the signified. This idea has influenced subsequent thinkers.