Thanks for this Ken. I have a copy of His Glassy Essence, but confess I have
read it only in part. I shall return to it.
Given the homophobia since, and established in the Victorian era, it is
surprising to me to find this tolerance and, indeed, advocacy of homosexuality
in New England. It gives me a very different perspective of the time and the
place.
Regards,
Steven
--
Dr. Steven Ericsson-Zenith
Institute for Advanced Science & Engineering
http://iase.info
On Mar 20, 2012, at 10:08 AM, Kenneth Ketner wrote:
> Steven and group: I had the same suspicion about the importance of family
> life in CSP's formative years, and I was able to find quite a bit about it,
> and show it in HIS GLASSY ESSENCE (available in the web used book sites, such
> as ADDALL) which is a life of Peirce through about 1867.
>
> Yes, James Peirce was indeed gay -- evidence is now clear (see HGE); the
> family accepted it; JP and Symonds were closely connected; JP had a career at
> Harvard despite it being known that he was gay.
>
> Ben Peirce had a long relationship with the "Queen of Science," well
> documented in HGE, including her hitherto unseen photograph; the Queen had an
> influence on Charley. Other family members likewise influenced him -- Admiral
> Davis; the lady who gave him a copy of Schiller's Aesthetische Breife; his
> brother James who gave him a copy of Whatley's Logic, and his aunt with whom
> he learned German and read Kant; a cousin who was a playmate. And of course
> his father, of whom he later said (paraphrase) If I amount to something it
> will be because of him, for he trained me. In particular, Ben's Ideality
> book was a strong influence as was Ben's talk on Genesis (in HGE). Ben's
> death in 1880 was particularly devastating, because Charley and Ben were a
> definite team in science and in life. Much more could be said.
>
> That is to state, you are definitely on the right track in looking at family
> for influence on Peirce's formative years, and for understanding some of his
> later ideas and accomplishments.
>
> On 20/03/2012 01:54, Steven Ericsson-Zenith wrote:
>> 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
>>
>>
>> --
>> Dr. Steven Ericsson-Zenith
>> Institute for Advanced Science& Engineering
>> http://iase.info
>>
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>
> --
> Kenneth Laine Ketner
> Paul Whitfield Horn Professor
> Institute for Studies in Pragmaticism
> Texas Tech University
> Charles Sanders Peirce Interdisciplinary Professor
> Anita Thigpen Perry School of Nursing
> Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center
> MAIL ADDRESS:
> Institute for Studies in Pragmaticism
> Texas Tech University
> Lubbock, TX 79409-0002
> 806 742 3128
> Office email: kenneth.ket...@ttu.edu
> Office website: http://www.pragmaticism.net
> Personal website: http://www.wyttynys.net
>
>
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