Peircers, I think it helps to reflect on the previous excerpt from "Kaina Stoicheia" in a somewhat larger context:
http://stderr.org/pipermail/inquiry/2005-November/003187.html o~~~~~~~~~o~~~~~~~~~o~~~~~~~~~o~~~~~~~~~o~~~~~~~~~o~~~~~~~~~o KS. Note 7 o~~~~~~~~~o~~~~~~~~~o~~~~~~~~~o~~~~~~~~~o~~~~~~~~~o~~~~~~~~~o | The other form of degenerate sign is to be termed an 'index'. | It is defined as a sign which is fit to serve as such by | virtue of being in a real reaction with its object. | | For example, a weather-cock is such a sign. It is fit to | be taken as an index of the wind for the reason that it is | physically connected with the wind. A weather-cock conveys | information; but this it does because in facing the very | quarter from which the wind blows, it resembles the wind | in this respect, and thus has an icon connected with it. | In this respect it is not a pure index. | | A pure index simply forces attention to the object | with which it reacts and puts the interpreter into | mediate reaction with that object, but conveys no | information. | | As an example, take an exclamation "Oh!" | | The letters attached to a geometrical figure are another case. | | Absolutely unexceptionable examples of degenerate forms must not be expected. | All that is possible is to give examples which tend sufficiently in towards | those forms to make the mean suggest what is meant. | | It is remarkable that while neither a pure icon nor a pure index | can assert anything, an index which forces something to be an 'icon', | as a weather-cock does, or which forces us to regard it as an 'icon', | as the legend under a portrait does, does make an assertion, and forms | a 'proposition'. This suggests the true definition of a proposition, | which is a question in much dispute at this moment. A proposition | is a sign which separately, or independently, indicates its object. | | No 'index', however, can be an 'argumentation'. It may be what many | writers call an 'argument; that is, a basis of argumentation; but an | argument in the sense of a sign which separately shows what interpretant | it is intended to determine it cannot be. | | C.S. Peirce, ["Kaina Stoicheia"], NEM 4, 242 | | C.S. Peirce, ["Kaina Stoicheia"], MS 517 (1904), pp. 235-263 in: | Carolyn Eisele (ed.), 'The New Elements of Mathematics by | Charles S. Peirce, Volume 4, Mathematical Philosophy', | Mouton, The Hague, 1976. | | Cf. "New Elements", pp. 300-324 in 'The Essential Peirce, | Volume 2 (1893-1913)', Peirce Edition Project (eds.), | Indiana University Press, Bloomington, IN, 1998. o~~~~~~~~~o~~~~~~~~~o~~~~~~~~~o~~~~~~~~~o~~~~~~~~~o~~~~~~~~~o -- academia: http://independent.academia.edu/JonAwbrey my word press blog: http://inquiryintoinquiry.com/ inquiry list: http://stderr.org/pipermail/inquiry/ isw: http://intersci.ss.uci.edu/wiki/index.php/JLA oeiswiki: http://www.oeis.org/wiki/User:Jon_Awbrey facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/JonnyCache
----------------------------- PEIRCE-L subscribers: Click on "Reply List" or "Reply All" to REPLY ON PEIRCE-L to this message. PEIRCE-L posts should go to peirce-L@list.iupui.edu . To UNSUBSCRIBE, send a message not to PEIRCE-L but to l...@list.iupui.edu with the line "UNSubscribe PEIRCE-L" in the BODY of the message. More at http://www.cspeirce.com/peirce-l/peirce-l.htm .
