Ben, Jon, List, I would like to propose that the term 'replica' may still have a l legitimate use in Peirce's semeiotic despite its being abandoned by Peirce for existential graphs specifically.
CSP: An individual existing embodiment of such a type is called a graph-instance, or a[n] instance of a graph. I formerly called it a replica, forgetting that Mr. Kempe, in his Memoir on Mathematical Forms, §170, had already preempted this word as a technical term relating to graphs, and that in a highly appropriate sense, while my sense was not at all appropriate. I therefore am glad to abandon this term. (LF 2/1:171, 1904) Peirce seems to have rejected 'replica' in EGs because "Kempe. . . had already preempted this word as a technical term relating to graphs, and that in a highly appropriate sense." Here one sees Peirce's following through on a principle of his Ethics of Terminology, that one should not use a word which another has already appropriated to express a certain meaning. See the whole discussion in "The Ethics of Terminology," (CP 2.219–2.226). Peirce makes this principle explicit: ". . . whoever first has occasion to employ a name for that [new] conception must invent a suitable one; and others ought to follow him; but that whoever deliberately uses a word or other symbol in any other sense than that which was conferred upon it by its sole rightful creator commits a shameful offence against the inventor of the symbol and against science, and it becomes the duty of the others to treat the act with contempt and indignation. Peirce: CP 2.224 In the following famous passage discussing legisigns, sinsigns, and replicas, Peirce remarks that "Each single instance of [a legisign] is a Replica." One notices in this snippet that he uses both the word "instance" and "replica" so that in this broadly semeiotic sense they would appear to be synonymous. A Legisign is a law that is a Sign. This law is usually established by men. Every conventional sign is a legisign [but not conversely]. It is not a single object, but a general type which, it has been agreed, shall be significant. Every legisign signifies through an instance of its application, which may be termed a Replica of it. *Thus, the word "the" will usually occur from fifteen to twenty-five times on a page. It is in all these occurrences one and the same word, the same legisign. Each single instance of it is a Replica. The Replica is a Sinsign. *Thus, every Legisign requires Sinsigns. But these are not ordinary Sinsigns, such as are peculiar occurrences that are regarded as significant. Nor would the Replica be significant if it were not for the law which renders it so. CP 2.246 (Emphasis added). What I am proposing is that in consideration of EGs that we should accept Peirce's changed terminology of "instance" (for the very good reason related to his ethics of terminology), but retain it in his general semeiotic. For a preliminary 'test' of this notion, try reading the quotation just above replacing each occurrence of 'Replica' with 'instance'. For me, 'replica' seems to convey the thought of all occurrences of the word 'the' better than 'instance'. Best, Gary R On Sat, Nov 8, 2025 at 6:26 AM Benjamin Udell <[email protected]> wrote: > What I liked about the term "replica" is that a symbol could be a replica > of a more general symbol. For example, a sentence - not an individual > token but a type - in a particular human language could be a replica of a > proposition conceived as a kind of meaning, apart from any particular human > language. Below is my footnote about it from the Wikipedia article now > titled "Semiotic theory of Charles Sanders Peirce" > https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Semiotic_theory_of_Charles_Sanders_Peirce > > "New Elements (Kaina Stoicheia)" MS 517 (1904); EP 2:300-324, Arisbe Eprint > https://www.cspeirce.com/menu/library/bycsp/stoicheia/stoicheia.htm , > scroll down to 317, then first new paragraph. > > On 11/7/2025 7:31 PM, Jon Alan Schmidt wrote: > > Just to clarify, Robert's linked paper is not about *all *tokens > (sinsigns), it is specifically about "replicas"--a term that Peirce > discarded in favor of "instances" as his speculative grammar continued to > develop after 1903, just like he discarded "representamen" in favor of > "sign." > > CSP: An individual existing embodiment of such a type is called a > *graph-instance*, or a[n] *instance* of a graph. I formerly called it a > *replica*, forgetting that Mr. Kempe, in his Memoir on Mathematical > Forms, §170, had already preempted this word as a technical term relating > to graphs, and that in a highly appropriate sense, while my sense was not > at all appropriate. I therefore am glad to abandon this term. (LF 2/1:171, > 1904) > > _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ > ► 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]";>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.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ ► 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]";>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.
