The basic distinctions in Der Streit

The paper presents Ingarden's views on what he calls "modes of being" ("ways of existence") and "existential moments"; the latter being constitutive parts of the former. Mainstream analytic philosophy has been dominated by the view that "existence" can mean only existence simpliciter. Ingarden, on the other hand, discerns four possible modes of being, one of which is of special interest to semiotics: purely intentional being. It is of relevance for the ontological understanding not only of texts, but also of pictures and other sign-related entities. At the end, an extrapolated Ingardenian semiotic triangle is presented.