Firstness

Firstness is the concept that one of the hominids on the Originary Scene must have issued the sign first, to be in turn imitated by the others.

Origin

Originally, the originary scene presupposes a spontaneous, uniform issuance of the sign by the members of the group. Firstness is a concept derived from Adam Katz's modification of the Originary Scene under the assumption that one of the members of the group must have issued the sign first, to be in turn imitated by the others. In any human activity, someone goes first, and it matters who goes first.

Characteristics

Firstness is a way of speaking about responsibility, of “stepping into the breach.” It is also a way of breaking up assumptions about the unity of consciousness and intentionality - one who goes first can’t be quite sure what he’s done until others follow and complete the event. Charles Sanders Peirce’s notion of an experiential “firstness” linked to iconic signs, which are grasped immediately and intuitively, is related to this concept, and the two uses of the term are connected insofar as in both cases “firstness” isn’t “actual” until we have a second and third.