Steven, Raposa, _Peirce's Philosophy of Religion_ is superb. And for the next two days you could get it at 50% off from Indiana University Press.
Gary F. -----Original Message----- From: C S Peirce discussion list [mailto:PEIRCE-L@LISTSERV.IUPUI.EDU] On Behalf Of Steven Ericsson-Zenith Sent: March-20-12 2:54 AM To: PEIRCE-L@LISTSERV.IUPUI.EDU Subject: [peirce-l] The family of Benjamin Peirce Dear List, I have an increasing interest in Benjamin Peirce and his son James, Charles' elder brother. I am curious about Charles' relationship with his brother, who continued his father's work teaching mathematics at Harvard. I wonder about the relationship for a number of reasons, but it is primarily to fill in the gaps for me concerning Charles Peirce's intellectual life and the familial/social climate of the time. There is a strong indication in the literature that James was gay and potentially the author (Prof X) of a particularly powerful and interesting (in the sense of advanced and well-considered thinking) piece on the virtues of homosexuality (or at least the reasons why there should be no objection to it), and I note no disapproval or criticism of this by Charles or his father. Given Charles' hardships later in life I also wonder whether James (his brother) provided Charles with aid or property. And given the liberal nature of the family I wonder about their view of Charles' later marriage. I continue to see the roots of many of Charles' ideas in the work of his father, although their vocabulary and ways of speaking differ. Benjamin's "Ideality In The Physical Sciences" is an especially interesting read and I find myself revising my initial views concerning Charles' religious background, that I have previously considered naive from his own writings. Benjamin Peirce has an especially sophisticated sensibility for traditional religious concerns (Kierkegaardian almost) and the relationship with science, and he speaks eloquently about it. His view is certainly suggestive of Charles' "unconsidered argument" and in many ways his view is more sophisticated. Certainly his conception of "God" is not the anthropomorphic conception and it is compatible with Charles' view in that I would not expect Benjamin to object to the "unconsidered argument." I am trying to decipher Benjamin's views on what I will call "universal will." As the picture becomes more fleshed out, the family of Benjamin Peirce as a whole and Charles' "place" within it, leads me to expect that a fuller understanding of this family, and its combined intellectual life, is necessary for an understanding of Charles and his work. Does anyone have pointers for me or suggestions about where I can find more help with this? With respect, Steven --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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