Jeff, List: Your points below are well taken. Nevertheless, according to Peirce himself, "If a pragmaticist is asked what he means by the word 'God,' he can only say that ... if contemplation and study of the physico-psychical universe can imbue a man with principles of conduct analogous to the influence of a great man's works or conversation, then that analogue of a mind ... is what he means by 'God'" (CP 6.502, c. 1906); and, "A full exposition of the pragmaticistic definition of *Ens necessarium* would require many pages; but some hints toward it may be given" (CP 6.490, 1908). These quotations obviously imply that there *is *a pragmaticistic definition of God as *Ens necessarium*, although unfortunately, he never spells it out in its entirety.
Moreover, Peirce follows up on the first statement by adding, "Now such being the pragmaticist's answer to the question what he means by the word 'God,' the question whether there really *is *such a being is the question whether all physical science is merely the figment--the arbitrary figment--of the students of nature" (CP 6.503). He seems to be saying that the reality of God is *logically equivalent* to the reliability of scientific study of the universe. Why? "But whatever there may be of *argument *in all this is as nothing, the merest nothing, in comparison to its force as an appeal to one's own instinct, which is to argument what substance is to shadow, what bed-rock is to the built foundations of a cathedral" (ibid). Consider, then, his final words in the main text of "A Neglected Argument for the Reality of God," right before its published additament that begins by explaining pragmaticism. CSP: [T]he hypothesis [of God's reality], irresistible though it be to first intention, yet needs Probation; and that though an infinite being is not tied down to any consistency, yet man, like any other animal, is gifted with power of understanding sufficient for the conduct of life. This brings him, for testing the hypothesis, to taking his stand upon Pragmaticism, which implies faith in common sense and in instinct, though only as they issue from the cupel-furnace of measured criticism. In short, he will say that the N.A. is the First Stage of a scientific inquiry, resulting in a hypothesis of the very highest Plausibility, whose ultimate test must lie in its value in the self-controlled growth of man's conduct of life. (CP 6.480, EP 2:445-446, 1908) The following year, Peirce states plainly that "a belief in God is a natural instinct, comparable with the instinct that leads various insects to lay their eggs where the larvae will find abundant food (though the mothers have no experiential acquaintance with eggs, unless they can remember being eggs themselves; and indeed even this would not, of itself, suffice.) Now it would certainly be the height of folly to discredit any such natural instinct" (SWS:283, 1909). After all, returning to "A Neglected Argument," "it is the simpler hypothesis in the sense of the more facile and natural, the one that instinct suggests, that must be preferred; for the reason that unless man have a natural bent in accordance with nature's, he has no chance of understanding nature, at all" (CP 6.477, EP 2:444). In short, scientific study cannot--or at least, should not--be divorced from human instinct. On the contrary, scientific study *depends on* human instinct to supply plausible explanatory hypotheses for the phenomena that are being investigated. For Peirce, the reality of God as *Ens necessarium* is one such hypothesis. It arises in *metaphysics *(not religion) to satisfy the requirement of logic for a *rational *explanation of why there are any phenomena for the *special *sciences to study in the first place (see R 339:[293r&295r], 1908 Aug 28, quoted previously <https://list.iupui.edu/sympa/arc/peirce-l/2024-08/msg00050.html>). Notwithstanding what he wrote two decades earlier (CP 1.412, EP 1:278, 1887-8), positing that the universe somehow created itself from absolutely nothing is logically and scientifically untenable because "nothing justifies a retroductive inference except its affording an explanation of the facts. It is, however, no explanation at all of a fact to pronounce it *inexplicable*. That, therefore, is a conclusion which no reasoning can ever justify or excuse" (CP 1.139, EP 2:49, 1898). Regards, Jon Alan Schmidt - Olathe, Kansas, USA Structural Engineer, Synechist Philosopher, Lutheran Christian www.LinkedIn.com/in/JonAlanSchmidt / twitter.com/JonAlanSchmidt On Mon, Sep 16, 2024 at 10:43 AM Jeffrey Brian Downard < [email protected]> wrote: > Jon S, Gary R, Gary F, Edwina, List, > > > > Consider the following remarks about pragmaticism in relation to Humanism, > theism, etc. > > > > “There are certain questions commonly reckoned as metaphysical, and which > certainly are so, if by metaphysics we mean ontology, which as soon as > pragmatism is once sincerely accepted, cannot logically resist settlement. > These are for example, What is reality? Are necessity and contingency real > modes of being? Are the laws of nature real? Can they be assumed to be > immutable or are they presumably results of evolution? Is there any real > chance, or departure from real law? But on examination, if by metaphysics > we mean the broadest positive truths of the psycho-physical universe -- > positive in the sense of not being reducible to logical formulæ -- then the > very fact that these problems can be solved by a logical maxim is proof > enough that they do not belong to metaphysics but to "epistemology," an > atrocious translation of *Erkenntnislehre. *When we pass to consider the > nature of Time, it seems that pragmatism is of aid, but does not of itself > yield a solution. When we go on to the nature of Space, I boldly declare > that Newton's view that it is a real entity is alone logically tenable; and > that leaves such further questions as, Why should Space have three > dimensions? quite unanswerable for the present. This, however, is a purely > speculative question without much human interest. (It would, of course, be > absurd to say that tridimensionality is without practical consequences.) > For those metaphysical questions that have such interest, the question of a > future life and especially that of One Incomprehensible but Personal God, > not immanent in but creating the universe, I, for one, heartily admit that > a Humanism, that does not pretend to be a science but only an instinct, > like a bird's power of flight, but purified by meditation, is the most > precious contribution that has been made to philosophy for ages.” [CP, > Survey of Pragmaticism, 5.496] > > > > In this passage, Peirce makes a distinction between three sets of > questions: > > > > 1. Questions of metaphysical ontology, such as: What is reality? Are > necessity and contingency real modes of being? Are the laws of nature real? > Can they be assumed to be immutable or are they presumably results of > evolution? Is there any real chance, or departure from real law? > 2. Purely speculative questions in metaphysics concerning the broadest > positive truths of the psycho-physical universe: “What is the nature of > time and space?” “At the current stage of the cosmos, why does space appear > to have three dimensions and time appear to have one dimension?” “Is the > number of dimensions of space and time fixed, or has the number of > dimensions evolved?” > 3. Questions that have a strong human interest: “Is some sort of life > of the soul after the biological death of a human being?” “What is the > nature of that which is most Divine?” > > > > If we adopt the methods of pragmaticism, it appears that there are > different sorts of grounds for affirming or denying various answers to > these three sets of questions. Once pragmatism is sincerely accepted, > Peirce suggests that we have logical grounds for adopting some hypotheses > and rejecting others with respect to the questions that fall into the first > group. Given the development of scientific methodologies and theories > around 1900, some questions that fall into the second group were “quite > unanswerable for the present.” > > > > Questions that fall into the third group, which include questions about > the tenability of theism and humanism, bear on our natural instincts, but > probably should not “pretend” to be scientific. If they are not scientific, > then we need to consider the limits of philosophical methods in seeking > answers. James and Schiller seem to claim that pragmatic methods should be > used to clarify the meanings of the terms used the frame the questions and > formulate viable hypotheses in the third group. Peirce, on the other hand, > suggests in this essay and elsewhere that pragmaticist methods have their > limits, and it may be a mistake to apply them outside the realm of the > “intellectual conceptions” concerning positive matters of fact (see > 5.464-8). > > > > As such, he may personally find the conception of “One Incomprehensible > but Personal God, not immanent in but creating the universe” attractive, > but he is keen to point out that a Humanism that is “only an instinct, like > a bird's power of flight, but purified by meditation, is the most precious > contribution that has been made to philosophy for ages.” > > > > On my view, there are a wide range of possible answers to the third set of > questions that are of a “strong human interest”, and I don’t see strong > scientific reasons for insisting that one answer, or another, is the best > to any of them. I have my personal views, but I recognize that the efforts > to make scientific methods more exact means those very methods will have > their limits. > > > > Yours, > > > > Jeff > >
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