o~~~~~~~~~o~~~~~~~~~o~~~~~~~~~o~~~~~~~~~o~~~~~~~~~o

Note 3

o~~~~~~~~~o~~~~~~~~~o~~~~~~~~~o~~~~~~~~~o~~~~~~~~~o

Objective Logic (cont.)

But whatever be the kind and degree of our logical assurance that there is any 
real world,
external or internal, that same kind and degree of assurance we certainly have 
that there
not only may be a living symbol, realizing the full idea of a symbol, but even 
that there
actually is one.

I examine the question from this point of view.  It certainly seems as if the 
mere
hypothesis of such a thing as a symbol sufficed to demonstrate such a 
life-history.
Still, a fallacy is to be suspected.  How can a mere hypothesis prove so much 
as this
seems to prove, if it proves anything?  I call in the data of experience, not 
exactly
the every-minute experience which has hitherto been enough, but the experience 
of most
men, together with the history of thought.  The conclusion seems the same.  Yet 
still,
the evidence is unsatisfactory.  The truth is that the hypothesis involves the 
idea of
a different mode of being from that of existential fact.  This mode of being 
seems to
claim immediate recognition as evident in the mere idea of it.  One asks 
whether there
is not a fallacy in using the ordinary processes of logic either to support it 
or to
refute it.

— Charles S. Peirce, “Minute Logic” (1902), CP 2.114–115

o~~~~~~~~~o~~~~~~~~~o~~~~~~~~~o~~~~~~~~~o~~~~~~~~~o

academia: http://independent.academia.edu/JonAwbrey
inquiry list: http://stderr.org/pipermail/inquiry/
mwb: http://www.mywikibiz.com/Directory:Jon_Awbrey
oeiswiki: http://www.oeis.org/wiki/User:Jon_Awbrey
word press blog 1: http://jonawbrey.wordpress.com/
word press blog 2: http://inquiryintoinquiry.com/

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
You are receiving this message because you are subscribed to the PEIRCE-L listserv.  To 
remove yourself from this list, send a message to lists...@listserv.iupui.edu with the 
line "SIGNOFF PEIRCE-L" in the body of the message.  To post a message to the 
list, send it to PEIRCE-L@LISTSERV.IUPUI.EDU

Reply via email to