Frances to Boris... It should be noted that Peirce was to some extent an american religious theist of the christian protestant kind, but he was also an evolutionary philosopher and empirical scientist. For him the agents of design in the evolving world are not gods, but are telic traits and bents and leanings. One of his optimistic goals nonetheless was to see if religion and science might eventually merge and blend into a grand combine of global signs and thoughts. He was however prepared to drop religion if necessary in light of scientific findings that proved religion false. For him nothing must block the road to inquiry, including religion. He also held that deity was a sign, and further structured along the triadic lines of his phenomenal categories, by which all stuff in the world is built. But then that is another topical thread.
You partly wrote... I agree with essence of this evolutionary metaphysical approach to the matters of existence. In principle, I agree with the big picture you describe in the post.
