When1: 1865
When2: 1905
Who: Charles Sanders Peirce [Peirce, Charles Sanders]
What: philosopher/logician
Where: USA
works\ Harvard Lectures On the Logic of Science [1865]; On a New List of Categories [1867]; Questions Concerning Certain Faculties Claimed for Man [1868]; Description of a Notation for the Logic of Relatives [1870]; Illustrations of the Logic of Science [1877 to 1878]; Fixation of Belief [1877: in Illustrations of the Logic of Science]; How to Make Our Ideas Clear [1878: in Illustrations of the Logic of Science]; Evolutionary Love [1893]; What is a Sign? [1894]; Reasoning and the Logic of Things [1898]; What Pragmatism Is [1905]
Detail: He lived 1839 to 1914 and started pragmatism or pragmaticism, as development of Kant. In mathematics, he developed quantification theory [1878] and axiomatized pure mathematics using logic of relations.
Epistemology
Proposition is true if it corresponds to reality [1871]. However, people cannot experience reality. Direct, subjective, or personal methods such as introspection, faith, will, and authority cannot reliably provide true beliefs. People cannot idealize reality. Thinking only theoretically and logically cannot deduce reliable conclusions, because premises that allow reasoning depend on ideals, not reality. The only method that can approach truth with better and better probability is observing reality objectively, publicly, and scientifically {method of science} {science method}. Science uses reasoning {abduction, reasoning} that can explain available evidence by making new, possibly generic, hypotheses or inferences and testing them using public and objective techniques {inference to the best explanation, Peirce}.
Scientific concepts state that operations cause observable consequences. Scientific statements make predictions to test. A statement is true if its cause's predicted effect happens.
The same principle applied to belief makes belief clear. Belief practical effects can test belief {pragmaticism, Peirce}. If belief results in good consequences, it is good belief.
People can be wrong about beliefs {fallibilism}. Truth takes time, to reach public consensus.
Relations can have one, two, or three positions. One-place relations are people's experiences. Two-place relations are physical laws. Three-place relations are meaning, understanding, and consciousness.
Meaning is three-place relation among sign, observer, and interpretation {speculative grammar}. Meaning is interpretation sign causes in observers {semeiotics}. Meaning depends on knowing or believing consequences.
Signs are singular terms. Sign classes are words {symbol, Peirce} {conventional sign}, pointers {index, Peirce} {natural sign, philosophy}, or pictures {icon, Peirce}. Words can represent object category {type} or object example {token, Peirce}. Words always refer to same object or event. Pointers {indexical word} {demonstrative word} {token-reflexive} are pronouns and words about relative places or times and refer to something else. Indexicals can take different sentence roles and can refer to different things. Icons represent actual or ideal object.
Metaphysics
Reality is efficient causes, of sense qualities or other effects. Reality is continuous {syncheism}, not discrete. Reality is not deterministic {tychism}.
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Date Modified: 2022.0224