Academia Letters. 2021This paper examines a specific research lead identified by the late American philosopher John Deely concerning the origins of the formal/instrumental sign distinction in medieval philosophy. The focus is on Deely's 2020 monograph, 'Medieval Philosophy Redefined as the Latin Age', where Pedro da Fonseca is cited in connection with a critique of the first part of Augustine's definition of 'signum'. The paper details Deely's discussion of three unsuccessful scholarly attempts to trace the provenance of the formal/instrumental sign terminology. ( direct link )