Bridging Thought and Language: Kant’s Antinomies and Peirce’s Semiotics
Introduction Human understanding continually negotiates the boundary between concrete experience and abstract conceptualization. This article explores how two distinct philosophical models— Kant’s investigation of reason’s limits through antinomies and Peirce’s dynamic theory of signs—shed light on the complex relationship between lived experience and conceptual frameworks. Kant famously distinguishes between sensory impressions (phenomena) and pure concepts (noumena), arguing that our minds organize sensory input using innate cognitive structures. However, when pure reason pushes beyond the empirical world, it generates antinomies—conflicting propositions that, despite their contradictions, maintain compelling internal logic. In contrast, Peirce’s triadic theory of signs—comprising icons, indices, and symbols—offers a dynamic view in which signs actively shape both our perceptions and our thinking. This article revisits Kant’s antinomies in the context of his evolving understan...