Gary R., List: Guardiano associates each cosmological account with the "perspective" of a different Category--1ns for the constitution of being (in itself), 2ns for the sequence of events (each actualization), and 3ns for the evolution of states (as a process). That happens to match up with which Category comes *second *in the corresponding vector, but there are no indications in the paper that this was intentional on his part.
By contrast, I was not at all thinking in terms of "a categorial trichotomy" when I offered that addendum to my cosmological summary. In fact, I agree with you about associating synechism with 3ns, and both tychism and idealism with 1ns. Note that this is consistent with which Category comes *first *in the corresponding vector. I suppose that realism could be associated with 2ns, in the sense that "what really is, ultimately consists in what shall be forced upon us in experience" (CP 5.97, EP 2:182; 1903). However, only days later, Peirce also stated quite plainly that "Reality is an affair of Thirdness as Thirdness" (CP 5.121, EP 2:197; 1903). Ultimately, I guess we should not be surprised that 2ns is *not *primary in *any *component of Peirce's overall metaphysics. Synechism and realism emphasize different aspects of 3ns (continuity and reality), while tychism and idealism emphasize different aspects of 1ns (spontaneity and mind/feeling). These four doctrines are alternatives respectively to dualism, nominalism, necessitarianism, and materialism--each of which emphasizes a different aspect of 2ns, and each of which Peirce adamantly opposed. Regards, Jon Alan Schmidt - Olathe, Kansas, USA Professional Engineer, Amateur Philosopher, Lutheran Layman www.LinkedIn.com/in/JonAlanSchmidt - twitter.com/JonAlanSchmidt On Fri, Aug 16, 2019 at 1:28 PM Gary Richmond <[email protected]> wrote: > Jon, List, > > JAS: > > - The fundamental constitution of being as a continuum reflects > *synechism*. > - The ongoing sequences of events involving spontaneity, reactions, > and (non-absolute) habits reflect *tychism*. > - The overall evolution of states from "unpersonalized feeling" to > "dead matter" (as theoretical limits) reflects *idealism*. > > Perhaps I'm comparing apples and oranges here, but synechism, tychism, and > idealism seems a strange trio and certainly, or at least, most probably not > a categorial trichotomy at all. > > For one thing, while synechism is surely categorially 3ns, both tychism > and idealism are, at least in my thinking, associated with 1ns. So from the > trichotomic (trikonic) standpoint, there are two 1ns and no 2ns. But > perhaps your inclusion of idealism here hasn't anything to do with > categoriality. > > Moreover, in "Evolutionary Love" Peirce gives this trichotomy as "three > modes of evolution": > > tychism (1ns) "evolution by fortuitous variation" > |> agapism (3ns) "evolution by creative love" > anacism (2ns) "evolution by mechanical necessity" (EP1:362) > > (Incidentally, Peirce says that both anacasm and tychasm are degenerate > forms of agapasm.) > > Now certainly agapism (agapastic evolution "by creative love") cannot be > exactly equated with synechism ("the tendency to regard everything as > continuous," EP2:1) , but it seems clear enough that they are both primary > examples of 3ns. > > A possible trikon employing synechism might be: > > chance (1ns) > |> synechism (3ns) > brute reaction (2ns) > > . . . the characteristic of my doctrine, namely, that I chiefly insist > upon continuity, or Thirdness, and, in order to secure to thirdness its > really commanding function, I [find it indispensable] that it is a third, > and that Firstness, or chance, and Secondness, or Brute reaction, are other > elements, without the independence of which Thirdness would not have > anything upon which to operate. Accordingly, I like to call my theory > Synechism, > because it rests on the study of continuity (RLT 261; CP 6.202; in > Commens Dictionary) > > > So, again, while you may have something quite different in mind relating > synechism, tychism, and idealism, I'm not at all clear exactly what that is. > > Best, > > Gary > > *Gary Richmond* > *Philosophy and Critical Thinking* > *Communication Studies* > *LaGuardia College of the City University of New York* > >>
----------------------------- 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] . To UNSUBSCRIBE, send a message not to PEIRCE-L but to [email protected] with the line "UNSubscribe PEIRCE-L" in the BODY of the message. More at http://www.cspeirce.com/peirce-l/peirce-l.htm .
