On 8/7/2017 12:07 PM, Jerry LR Chandler wrote:
How does the modern notion of a system compare with CSP’s late 19th / early 20 th Century rhetoric?
Very directly. Peirce had provided the logical foundation for describing all of them. He didn't have the modern experience with the latest computer systems, but his 1887 article on "Logical Machines" was 63 years ahead of Turing in speculating about mechanisms for automating some aspects of human reasoning. In 1963, Marvin Minsky included that article in his bibliography of artificial intelligence. Peirce's work at the USC&GS gave him the latest updates on the most advanced engineering *systems* of the day. He was also a pioneer in designing some of them. He was not only the first scientist or engineer to propose a wavelength of light as an international standard for length -- he also built the instruments to use a wavelength of light to measure the pendulums he used for measuring gravity. For evidence, I recommend the articles in the four volume NEM that demonstrate his wide range of mathematical methods and applications. In particular, browse through Vol. 2, which includes letters by CSP to and about some of the most famous mathematicians of his day. It also includes some of his letter to William James, in which he tries to explain some mathematical concepts to a notorious nonmathematician. For evidence of his broad range of thought, I recommend the thousands of words he defined for the _Century Dictionary_. For some of them and for pointers to others, see the ones I excerpted in http://jfsowa.com/peirce/defs He also contributed many definitions to Baldwin's dictionary after 1900. Some of then are rather detailed essays. For all of them up to the letter O, see http://jfsowa.com/peirce/baldwin.htm Note his essays on "Laws of Thought", "Logic", "Logic, exact", "Logical", "Logical Diagram (or Graph)", "Matter and Form", and "Modality".
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