In  Chapter 4, I suggested that formalism tends to view art as a language. Semiotics has developed out of classical formalism: it can thus be considered a modern version of classical formalism. Though in the true sense of the word semiotics is a method rather than a philosophy of art, it has important implications for the latter. Because of the presuppositions and fundamental concepts of semiotics, it can be regarded both as a continuation and as a further elaboration of classical formalism. It considers the work of art to be completely autonomous and, as a rule, disregards the social and historical context, which reminds one of classical for malism. The fact that the context is only considered when it manifests itself within the work of art is yet another similarity. On the other hand, more so than in classical formalism, formal analysis is at the heart of semiotics, which is also more inclusive because it can be said to apply not only to artistic but to all cultural phenomena. And semiotics regards art and culture not so much as a language, but rather as a sign system. The term "semiotics' is derived from the Greek "semeion'. Semiotics literally means "theory of signs'. This branch of science is devoted to the study of signs as they are produced and interpreted in the most diverse ways. In daily life, we constantly emit signs: each gesture that we make, each grimace, slip of the tongue, or smile are signs for others to interpret, while each traffic sign is a symbol that we are supposed to understand. As far back as Ancient times and also in the Middle Ages, a great deal of thought was given to signs. The works of the Stoics, of Augustine, and of William of Ockham — to name but a few — contain valuable reflections on the nature of signs. However, only during the present century has a systematic study of signs emerged, which has come to be called semiotics.