Current practices of qualitative research in the human and social sciences are oriented in one of two directions. On one hand you have established “theorists” in the field (e.g., Cresswell, 2009; Denzin & Lincoln, (2011) arguing that qualitative research is essentially a methodological practice, and that a search for underlying principles is neither necessary or even useful. On the other hand, there are those (e.g., Johnson & Onwuegbuzie, 2004; Onwuegbuzie & Poth, 2015) who argue that qualitative research is actually theoretically identical to quantitative research (i.e., they share a commitment to modern science which itself is framed in basic Cartesian terms) and works best when applied as part of a mixed methods approach, where both qualitative and quantitative data are analyzed and reported. As a result of these guiding principles, most qualitative studies in the human sciences have either stagnated or are in the process of being completely consumed by quantitative research and relegated for use as “descriptive” only. The sad truth is that neither of these consequences are necessary and can be readily avoided. The field of qualitative research can then be reborn and reinvigorated to conduct meaningful research on its own terms, independent of quantitative and Cartesian approaches. This can be achieved via semiotics. For over 30 years I have been wrestling with the issue of what a truly Post-Cartesian empirical inquiry in the human and social sciences would look like (e.g., Shank, 1987; Shank, 1994; Shank, 1998; Shank, 2005; for a select coverage of this issue). The work of Charles Peirce (Peirce, 1992; Peirce, 1998) has served as a basic orienting principle by which one can conduct this work. I use the notion of “orienting principle” instead of “foundation’ to highlight the fact that a proper qualitative empirical inquiry will be both divergent and abductive and will serve as a systematic empirical inquiry into meaning. Rather than taking the Cartesian approach of reducing dualities into singularities via convergent methods, Post-Cartesian inquiry based on Peircean principles seeks instead to move from apparent dualities into triadic understandings that, rather than being convergent, allow for the formation of divergent relations. Thee divergent relations expand and enrichen both meaning and understanding by explicitly acknowledging the reality and role of relation per se. Research methods that focus on converging on claims that tend to be non-mediated and hierarchically related (i.e., standard Cartesian quantitative methods) are poorly equipped to handle the divergent and rhizomatic nature of ongoing patterns of understanding. To simply realize that there is no such thing as convergent understanding (there is instead convergent knowledge) and that meaning and understanding are inexhaustible, should be enough to free qualitative research from its self-imposed restrictions. This paper will focus on implications and examples of this semiotic approach as applied to qualitative research.