hmmm, I don't think one needs to go down the path of hermeneutics to
get to objects, though that is a valid path and has quite a bit going
for it. The more straightforward path might be semiotics, Propp,
Barthes, Baudrillard, actor-network theory, all deal with objects as
semiotic relations. Many of the recent books dealing with social
semiotics also are explicit about the role of objects in the social
milieu and the signs involved,negotiations involved, etc. Recent
material culture studies, huge sections of anthropology and archeology
all have solid bases for talking about object relations without
hitting Gadamer, though granted I don't deny that Gadamer and other
hermeneutics isn't worthwhile in its own right. There is a
conference 'thinking about things' and then there is also a few
interesting blogposts scattered about on things and thingology that
also provide direction to recent works.
Jeremy Hunsinger
Political Science
Center for Digital Discourse and Culture
Virginia Tech
Information Ethics Fellow
Center for Information Policy Research
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