Jon A, I agree that (NEM 4:20) is one of Peirce's best definitions of 'sign'. I also believe that it is his clearest definition of 'formal semiotic'. But in talking about Peirce's logic. it's essential to distinguish three distinct kinds of logic that he developed in detail: mathematical logic, formal semiotic, and normative logic. Elsewhere. he wrote that mathematical logic is the smallest part. But without mathematical logic as the foundation, formal semiotic would not be possible. And without formal semiotic, normative logic would not be possible. A huge amount of confusion on Peirce-L could be avoided by distinguishing which of the three senses of 'logic' is intended in any occurrence of the word in Peirce's writing. JA> One of Peirce's clearest and most complete definitions of a sign is one he gives in the context of providing a definition for logic, and so it is informative to view it in that setting. CSP> Logic will here be defined as formal semiotic. A definition of a sign will be given which no more refers to human thought than does the definition of a line as the place which a particle occupies, part by part, during a lapse of time. Namely, a sign is something, A, which brings something, B, its interpretant sign determined or created by it, into the same sort of correspondence with something, C, its object, as that in which itself stands to C. It is from this definition, together with a definition of formal, that I deduce mathematically the principles of logic. I also make a historical review of all the definitions and conceptions of logic, and show, not merely that my definition is no novelty, but that my non-psychological conception of logic has virtually been quite generally held, though not generally recognized. (NEM 4, 2021). Note the word 'here' in the first sentence: "Logic will here be defined as formal semiotic." That does not rule out other senses of the word 'logic' in other writings. John
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