The best that I have managed to do is to quote in agreement with Peirce in his paper "on a new list of categories" that the work of any conception is to reduce the manifold of sensuous experience to unity. If it is proved that this function cannot be performed except by considering practical effects then we will have a proof of the pragmatic maxim, without of course, proving Peirce's entire system of philosophy which this pragmatism implies. Now Peirce immediately after making the assertion that the function of conceptions is the unification of experience says that this unity is the unity of a proposition e.g. "this stove is black" reduces the confused tangle of qualities and relations that we call the stove to a conceptual unity by using black as a unifying conception. Now terms are mostly signs of firstness, propositions are signs of secondness and arguments sign of thirdness. So the unification of experience requires an apeal to secondness because propositions are signs of secondness. Now for some reason that I do not understand fully, Peirce associates secondness with volition and action. If we can know why then we have a common point of resemblance between an action and the object of a proposition. I personally think that Peirce classifies both of them as species of secondness because a proposition states relations and action or volition alters relations in the real world. Thus relations are key in our grasp of mind-independent reality. Let us try to formulate this more properly in words. 1. Conceptions are required for unification of experience. 2. Propositions are the signs that carry out this unification. 3. Propositions state relations. 4. Actions alter relations in the real world. 5. We cannot know one relation without changing some other relations. This has only been begun to be understood by modern science for example in the special case of the Heisenberg uncertainty principle which states that the momentum and position of an electron cannot be measured simultaneously. For bombarding an electron with light lays bare its position but changes its momentum while on calculating its momentum, we lose track of its exact instantaneous position. Position and momentum are both relations. This principle is applicable not only to the position and momentum of electrons but to all relations. Thus actions or operations upon the world or physical/mental models of it are our primary method for getting in touch with reality. 6. Therefore, the sole function of a concept, which is the unification of a domain of experience is impossible without action. All definitions must be ultimately reduced to operational definitions. Thus it is proved. Had it been that easy, I think Peirce himself would have come up with it in his teens. I may be missing something in my proof. I would be highly obliged to the person who points it out.
On Thu, 2 Oct 2025, 3:24 pm suteerth vajpeyi, <[email protected]> wrote: > > > ---------- Forwarded message --------- > From: suteerth vajpeyi <[email protected]> > Date: Thu, 2 Oct 2025, 3:23 pm > Subject: Why do practical consequences constitute the sole interpretant of > a sign ? > To: Peirce-L <[email protected]> > > > Respected members, I know that this question is a tough one but it really > needs answering. As per C.S. Peirce, the meaning of any conception is > exhaustively elaborated by the pragmatic maxim. I want to see a > demonstration or proof of this fact for it is not self evident, at least > not to me. It has been decades since interest in the work of Peirce has > risen. Many members of this group are illustrious and have written books of > their own. I do not think that zero people have worked on this question and > if there is no definitive answer already found, atleast we could have a > blueprint of the present state of inquiry regarding this question. So with > that, I invite you all to share your thoughts on the matter... >
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