I am looking for a writer or thinker (to cite in a paper) who said something good about "There are things that every educated person should know." I know that this is a popular idea, so I'm most focused on enlightenment and later thinkers. It doesn't have to be the first person to argue for some set of competencies / knowledge, and it is not terribly important exactly what's in the set (but if you know, or if there's a quote, please include it). Any ideas? [more inside]
posted on Jan 31, 2007 - 14 answers

PhilosophyPhilter(!) I am writing an academic paper (not in philosophy) that uses some of the terms and basic structure of semiotics, the study of signs and the way that they represent objects and ideas. Does anybody know of a good book that I can use as a reference for this in my paper? I'd prefer not to have to reference online material (wikipedia, and this site are good), but would prefer a real book. I am hoping to point interested readers to concise definitions of the terms, like in a dictionary or encylopedia, and not to honking books by Pierce. Any ideas?
posted on Jun 20, 2005 - 14 answers