Category Archives: Pragmatism

The object of reasoning is to find out …

Posted on January 23, 2024 by Jon Awbrey

No longer wondered what I would do in life but defined my object. — C.S. Peirce (1861), “My Life, written for the Class-Book”, (CE 1, 3) The object of reasoning is to find out, from the consideration of what we already … Continue reading →

Posted in C.S. Peirce, Determination, Dyadic Relations, Fixation of Belief, Inference, Inquiry, Intention, Intentional Contexts, Intentional Objects, Logic, Objects Objectives Objectivity, Pragmata, Pragmatism, Reasoning, Scientific Inquiry, Semiotics, Sign Relations, Triadic Relations, Triadicity | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Sign Relations, Triadic Relations, Relation Theory • Discussion 11

Posted on September 12, 2023 by Jon Awbrey

Re: Michael Shapiro • Redefining Arbitrariness in Language MS: The matter of arbitrariness in language is primarily associated with the work of the Swiss linguist, Ferdinand de Saussure (1857–1913), whose book of lectures, Cours de linguistique Générale, is widely recognized … Continue reading →

Posted in C.S. Peirce, Icon Index Symbol, Information, Inquiry Driven Systems, Logic, Logic of Relatives, Mathematics, Peirce, Pragmatism, Relation Theory, Semiosis, Semiotics, Sign Relations, Triadic Relations, Triadicity, Visualization | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Pragmatic Maxim

Posted on August 7, 2023 by Jon Awbrey

The pragmatic maxim is a guideline for the practice of inquiry formulated by Charles Sanders Peirce. Serving as a normative recommendation or a regulative principle in the normative science of logic, its function is to guide the conduct of thought toward the achievement of its aims, advising the addressee on an optimal way of “attaining clearness of apprehension”. Continue reading →

Posted in C.S. Peirce, Logic, Method, Peirce, Philosophy, Pragmatic Maxim, Pragmatism, References, Sources | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 12 Comments

Pragmatic Semiotic Information • Ψ

Posted on July 22, 2023 by Jon Awbrey

I remember it was back in ’76 when I began to notice a subtle shift of focus in the computer science journals I was reading, from discussing X to discussing Information About X, a transformation I noted mentally as whenever … Continue reading →

Posted in Abduction, C.S. Peirce, Comprehension, Deduction, Definition, Determination, Extension, Hypothesis, Icon Index Symbol, Induction, Inference, Information, Information = Comprehension × Extension, Inquiry, Intension, Logic, Logic of Science, Peirce, Pragmatic Semiotic Information, Pragmatism, Scientific Method, Semiotics, Sign Relations | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Survey of Abduction, Deduction, Induction, Analogy, Inquiry • 3

Posted on April 2, 2023 by Jon Awbrey

This is a Survey of blog and wiki posts on three elementary forms of inference, as recognized by a logical tradition extending from Aristotle through Charles S. Peirce.  Particular attention is paid to the way these inferential rudiments combine to … Continue reading →

Posted in Abduction, Aristotle, C.S. Peirce, Deduction, Dewey, Discovery, Doubt, Fixation of Belief, Functional Logic, Icon Index Symbol, Induction, Inference, Information, Inquiry, Invention, Logic, Logic of Science, Mathematics, Morphism, Paradigmata, Paradigms, Pattern Recognition, Peirce, Philosophy, Pragmatic Maxim, Pragmatism, Scientific Inquiry, Scientific Method, Semiotics, Sign Relations, Surveys, Syllogism, Triadic Relations, Visualization | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Survey of Inquiry Driven Systems • 4

Posted on August 12, 2022 by Jon Awbrey

This is a Survey of blog and wiki resources on Inquiry Driven Systems, material I plan to refine toward a more compact and systematic treatment of the subject. An inquiry driven system is a system having among its state variables … Continue reading →

Posted in Abduction, Action, Adaptive Systems, Aristotle, Artificial Intelligence, Automated Research Tools, Change, Cognitive Science, Communication, Cybernetics, Deduction, Descartes, Dewey, Discovery, Doubt, Education, Educational Systems Design, Educational Technology, Fixation of Belief, Induction, Information, Information Theory, Inquiry, Inquiry Driven Systems, Inquiry Into Inquiry, Intelligent Systems, Interpretation, Invention, Kant, Knowledge, Learning, Learning Theory, Logic, Logic of Science, Mathematics, Mental Models, Peirce, Pragmatic Maxim, Pragmatism, Process Thinking, Scientific Inquiry, Semiotics, Sign Relations, Surveys, Teaching, Triadic Relations, Visualization | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Sign Relations, Triadic Relations, Relation Theory • Discussion 10

Posted on April 11, 2022 by Jon Awbrey

Re: FB | Dan Everett • On the Origin of Symbols and the Descent of Signs Continuing a discussion on the generative power of symbols (1) (2) (3). If it’s true what I say about symbols being the genus of … Continue reading →

Posted in C.S. Peirce, Icon Index Symbol, Information, Inquiry Driven Systems, Logic, Logic of Relatives, Mathematics, Peirce, Pragmatism, Relation Theory, Semiosis, Semiotics, Sign Relations, Triadic Relations, Triadicity, Visualization | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Sign Relations, Triadic Relations, Relation Theory • Discussion 9

Posted on April 9, 2022 by Jon Awbrey

Once, there was nothing there, nothing moving on its own, just data and people shuffling it around.  Then something happened, and it … it knew itself. William Gibson • Count Zero (1) (2) Re: FB | Dan Everett • On … Continue reading →

Posted in C.S. Peirce, Icon Index Symbol, Information, Inquiry Driven Systems, Logic, Logic of Relatives, Mathematics, Peirce, Pragmatism, Relation Theory, Semiosis, Semiotics, Sign Relations, Triadic Relations, Triadicity, Visualization | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

Sign Relations, Triadic Relations, Relation Theory • Discussion 8

Posted on April 8, 2022 by Jon Awbrey

Re: FB | Dan Everett • On the Origin of Symbols and the Descent of Signs Continuing a discussion on the primal character of symbols. There are a few passages from Peirce going most quickly to the root of the … Continue reading →

Posted in C.S. Peirce, Icon Index Symbol, Information, Inquiry Driven Systems, Logic, Logic of Relatives, Mathematics, Peirce, Pragmatism, Relation Theory, Semiosis, Semiotics, Sign Relations, Triadic Relations, Triadicity, Visualization | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

Sign Relations, Triadic Relations, Relation Theory • Discussion 7

Posted on April 5, 2022 by Jon Awbrey

Re: FB | Dan Everett • On the Origin of Symbols and the Descent of Signs A conversation with Dan Everett on Facebook led me to explain the following point about symbols a little better, or at least in fewer … Continue reading →

Posted in C.S. Peirce, Icon Index Symbol, Information, Inquiry Driven Systems, Logic, Logic of Relatives, Mathematics, Peirce, Pragmatism, Relation Theory, Semiosis, Semiotics, Sign Relations, Triadic Relations, Triadicity, Visualization | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 10 Comments