ABSTRACT
The importance and ubiquity of cognition as well as the power of the scientific method and the inquisitiveness of scientists themselves, it is no wonder that several sciences have focused on cognition itself as their prime target of study. This chapter presents a preliminary analysis of representation from the semiotic viewpoint that demonstrates the possibility of using a common language to discuss problems within many of the disciplines recognized as impacting the cognitive sciences. Significant progress along the directions may establish cognitive science as a new paradigm for an alternative group of sciences. According to the Universal Sign Structure Theory the syntactic dimension includes the medium, shape, and semiotic context of the sign, while the semantic dimension includes the real object, ground and cognitive mentellect of the sign. The problem of representation thus cuts across all of the cognitive sciences and provides a methodological unification as well as a unification of concern.
