Jon, list When Peirce says that metaphysics is not to be settled by “drawing a few definitions and then going to sleep,” he means: don’t build a closed system out of words; use exact logic, testable consequences, and continuous reasoning instead. I interpreted the passage as a critique of German idealism, and in sharp contrast he proposes his guides in contrast as follows;
(German Idealism): A linear one-step deduction — start with concepts/definitions, deduce a closed system, no empirical testing. (Peirce): A self-correcting cycle — abduction → deduction → induction → back again, open-ended and fallible. German Idealism: Seeks certainty and closure by definitions and dialectical deduction. Peirce: Seeks fallible but self-correcting knowledge by combining abduction, deduction, and induction in an open-ended inquiry. Atila On Mon, Sep 22, 2025 at 10:33 PM Jon Alan Schmidt <[email protected]> wrote: > Atila, List: > > It is not a quotation from CP 5.423, but perhaps a loose paraphrase of it. > Peirce states there that the doctrine of pragmatism "will serve to show > that almost every proposition of ontological metaphysics is either > meaningless gibberish--one word being defined by other words, and they by > still others, without any real conception ever being reached--or else is > downright absurd; so that all such rubbish being swept away, what will > remain of philosophy will be a series of problems capable of investigation > by the observational methods of the true sciences ..." It again says > nothing about "the theory of signs," "Germans and their American > followers," or "going to sleep." > > Regards, > > Jon Alan Schmidt - Olathe, Kansas, USA > Structural Engineer, Synechist Philosopher, Lutheran Christian > www.LinkedIn.com/in/JonAlanSchmidt / twitter.com/JonAlanSchmidt > > On Mon, Sep 22, 2025 at 8:40 PM Atila Bayat <[email protected]> wrote: > >> Jerry, >> >> Actually, I read that passage and it is from CP 5.423, 1905, and a >> disparaging reference to 'German and their American followers' asleep doing >> armchair metaphysics, rather than scientific metaphysics, as an inquiry >> guided by the scientific spirit of reasoning and experience. >> >> Your CP 5.189 is on abduction, a wonderful subject by itself. Run your >> prompt again. >> >> Atila >> > _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ > ► PEIRCE-L subscribers: Click on "Reply List" or "Reply All" to REPLY ON > PEIRCE-L to this message. PEIRCE-L posts should go to [email protected] > . > ► <a href="mailto:[email protected]?subject=SIG%20peirce-l";>UNSUBSCRIBE > FROM PEIRCE-L</a> . But, if your subscribed email account is not your > default email account, then go to > https://list.iu.edu/sympa/signoff/peirce-l . > ► PEIRCE-L is owned by THE PEIRCE GROUP; moderated by Gary Richmond; and > co-managed by him and Ben Udell.
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