Morris, Charles William

Born May 23, 1901, in Denver, Colo. American idealist philosopher.

From 1931 to 1947, Morris was a professor at the University of Chicago; later, he taught at the University of Florida. His philosophical views are a combination of pragmatism (in the spirit of G. Mead) and logical positivism. He developed the sociopsychological aspects of the thinking of C. Peirce and, using behaviorism as a foundation, he concluded that human behavior is determined by reactions to signs and the meaning of signs, which function as organizers of human behavior. Within this theoretical framework he tried to classify the various spheres of human activity according to the type of reasoning characteristic of each. He formulated the basic ideas and principles of semiotics. Morris’ social views made him a supporter of bourgeois democracy and the “American way of life.”