On a Simondonian Theory of Signification at the Limits of Language and Information

Simondon presented his paper “Forme, Information et Potentiels” to the Société́ Française de Philosophie on 27 February 1960. The paper ambitiously proposed a principle for the unification of the human sciences, translated in the Supplementary volume of Individuation in Light of Notions of Form and Information (2020). Simondon provides a succinct precis of the major features of his ontology. However, in the light of a more critical encounter with Simondon’s oeuvre, the lively debate following the presentation, which was omitted from the official publications, is of particular interest here. During this exchange, a critical consensus emerged that Simondon’s foundational ontology might rely upon metaphor. In his defense, Simondon engages in two illuminating exchanges with Paul Ricœur and Jean Hyppolite, addressing signification at the limits of language and information. This article examines whether Simondon’s ontology can be reduced to a series of metaphorical transpositions. It argues that the consistency and originality of Simondon’s ontology resides in the decisive function that information plays, prior to signification and language.