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The Sign Theory of Jakob von Uexküll

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Part of the book series: Topics in Contemporary Semiotics ((TICSE))

Abstract

Jakob von Uexküll was born in Keblas, Estonia in 1864. After completing his studies in zoology at Dorpat (now Tartu, Estonia) he worked at the Institute of Physiology of the University of Heidelberg and at the Zoological Center in Naples. In 1907 he was given an honorary doctorate by the University of Heidelberg for his studies in the field of muscular physiology. His later work was devoted to the problem of how living beings subjectively perceive their environment and how this perception determines their behavior. He developed a specific method which he termed “Umwelt-research.” In 1926 Uexküll founded the Institute of Umwelt-Research at the University of Hamburg. He died on the island of Capri, Italy in 1944.

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© 1987 Springer Science+Business Media New York

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Von Uexküll, T. (1987). The Sign Theory of Jakob von Uexküll. In: Krampen, M., Oehler, K., Posner, R., Sebeok, T.A., von Uexküll, T. (eds) Classics of Semiotics. Topics in Contemporary Semiotics. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4757-9700-8_7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4757-9700-8_7

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Boston, MA

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4757-9702-2

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