Chairperson(s): Hans Pfefferer-Wolf (Hannover, Germany)

08.30 - 10.00, Holiday Inn - Room 5

Semiotic is the science of sign processes which means processes like communication, discussion, measurement, research and construction of theories in which signs are involved. According to its own understanding semiotic as an object- and recta-science tries to establish links between different scientific disciplines. It is obvious to illustrate these links on "creating of myths" in scientific statements not having an empirical base. The workshop "Neuro- Myths and Social Romanticism" continues a complex tradition of critical distance towards neuro-scienees and social psychiatry. A brief survey about some controverse discussed claims will be given (S. Debus): first towards the neuro-sciences, which do not realize the "identity of the ego", as long as they refer to inadequate mechanical models, second towards social psychiatry which degrades the body to an epi-phenomenon and compensates the nonsuitability of its social-psycho-models by pure social actionism. The following critical and self-critical contributions give a comment on the process of scientific creating of myth from different points of view: from a semiotic view (R. Posner), from a clinical-psychiatric view (A. Heinz), from a social-psychiatric view (H. Pfefferer-Wolf) and from a philosophical view (G. Schulte). The workshop will be held in 2 following parts, 90 minutes each: Workshop I: Semiotics and Neuro-Sciences Workshop II: Semiotics and Social Psychiatry