Peircean and Confucian Interpretations of Self-Development: Semiotic, Normative, and Aesthetic Aspects

The intercultural reflection proposed in this article remains relevant for contemporary observations regarding the unsatisfactory results of the rituallike behaviors promoted at the collective level, with the goal of achieving social harmony and the healing of past wrongs. From this standpoint, the article confirms Robert C. Neville's suggestion that more attention should be given to resemblances between the Confucian theory of ritual and Peirce's semiotic theory. At the same time, by reflecting on self-development, the article points to a deeper level of comparison that would stress the similarities between Peirce's understanding of the connection between the manifestations of the "man-sign" and the three "categories" of reality, and the Confucian approach to human selves as "centers of relationships" deeply dependent upon natural and social contexts.