The Plagues of Egypt from the Toggenburg Bible, showing humanity's ancient habit of pattern-seeking. 

This rhetorical strategy drives everything from ancient prophecy to modern conspiracy theories, from New Age synchronicities to polarized political narratives. The same technological breakthrough can appear as either an existential threat or a salvific promise, depending entirely on the symbolic framework through which it is interpreted.

Eco’s insight was to recognize that both apocalyptic doom-sayers and utopian visionaries share a common habit: they abandon the discipline of reasoning in favor of symbolic storytelling, equally unwilling to confront ambiguity or complexity.

Editors put writing through the crucible of logic and meaning

At Fair Observer, we make the tension between semiotic meaning and logical rigor central to our editorial training. Our interns learn to navigate the space where symbols and arguments intersect — where the poetry of meaning-making meets the prose of factual accountability. When faced with a headline like "Policy Change Sparks Crime Wave," they learn to question what causal connection is implied through symbolic framing, rather than simply accepting what is demonstrated by evidence. When editing a politician’s carefully trimmed statement, they develop the instinct to ask what context might restore the full meaning.

The past two sessions of the Saturday Editorial Workshop were on logic, led by our trusted Chief of Staff, Anton Schauble. 

This training produces editors who understand that journalism operates in the challenging space between how things are represented and how they actually are. It teaches that every fact is wrapped in layers of cultural meaning, and that separating truth from its symbolic packaging requires both rhetorical and logical tools.

Today, to simplify the process, we can use Large Language Models (LLMs) to help extract arguments or research sources. But we are still learning to use them effectively.

Squid Ink Pasta, by Joy under Flickr
 

Today’s digital dilemma is the rise of the semiotic squid

The advent of large language models has given Eco’s warnings new urgency. We’ve unintentionally created what I’ve come to call “semiotic squids” — systems that generate vast clouds of interpretive ink without any substantial framework beneath. Present our seven matches to such a system, and it can just as easily spin them into signs of impending doom or symbols of hope, citing sources and crafting plausible narratives for either position, without any real belief in either. These systems subtly align with the biases of the person entering the prompt — like a faithful servant, they never question the motives.

The danger lies not in any particular position these systems might take, but in how perfectly they mimic cogito interruptus — how convincingly they present suggestive fragments and invite us to complete the reasoning according to our own predispositions. In an information ecosystem already drowning in unfinished thoughts, these tools threaten to become engines of mass persuasion, presenting plausible narratives with no actual substance.

For readers who value Fair Observer's commitment to nuanced understanding, this analysis gets to the heart of our contemporary predicament. We are living through a crisis of unfinished reasoning, where social media rewards symbolic punches over developed arguments, where political discourse favors meaningful nods and winks instead of completed thoughts, and where even journalism often prioritizes compelling narratives over messy factual complexity.

This is why our internship program places such emphasis on cultivating both logical rigor and semiotic awareness. Our trainees learn to recognize when arguments are replaced by symbols, when reasoning is swapped for rhetoric. They practice the difficult art of sitting with uncertainty while still striving for clarity.

Join us in this essential work

We’re building a community of readers and supporters who recognize that, in an age of fragmented reasoning, we need those who can carry thoughts to their completion more than ever. Your engagement helps us expand this crucial work — whether by participating in our public workshops, supporting our internship program, or simply bringing a spirit of rigorous inquiry to your own reading and sharing of information.

Roberta Campani
Communications and Outreach

P.S. For those who wish to explore these ideas further:

Dive into Eco’s Travels in Hyperreality to explore the original formulation of cogito interruptus and much more.

Join one of our upcoming workshops on media literacy and critical thinking, or reach out to discuss how you can support our training initiatives.

Together, we can build a community that values completed thoughts in an age of convenient fragments. In a world awash in interpretive ink, we must preserve the bones of true understanding.