The tactile and the index – From the remote control to the hand-held computer, some speculative reflections on the bodies of the will

The article deals with the conception of tactility in Marshall McLuhan’s media theory and its relation to the notion of the index and the category of ‘secondness’ in the semiotic pragmatism of Charles Sanders Peirce. It shows how two different aspects of tactility in McLuhan’s work can be differenti...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Lorenz Engell
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Amsterdam University Press 2013-01-01
Series:NECSUS : European journal of media studies
Online Access:https://www.necsus-ejms.org/test/the-tactile-and-the-index-from-the-remote-control-to-the-hand-held-computer-some-speculative-reflections-on-the-bodies-of-the-will/
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Summary:The article deals with the conception of tactility in Marshall McLuhan’s media theory and its relation to the notion of the index and the category of ‘secondness’ in the semiotic pragmatism of Charles Sanders Peirce. It shows how two different aspects of tactility in McLuhan’s work can be differentiated and, by further comparison with Michel Serres’ philosophy of the senses, how they are linked to the philosophical problem of the delegation of the will, or of the intention, from the human body to media technologies such as remote controls or computer interfaces.
ISSN:2213-0217