Dear Ulysses, UP: Does the metaphor of "the ground" or "grounding" in semiosis have an association to the "ground" in electrical circuits?
Short answer: The ground in electrical circuits is not a metaphor. It literally means a connection to something connected to the ground, such as a water pipe. However, the ground in many electrical systems may be a large part (such as the body of an automobile) that plays the role of the earth relative to the many smaller components. UP: On a related note I always found the term "ground" perplexing as I regard Peirce as an Anti- (or at least non-) foundationalist. Peirce did not believe that it was possible to have single foundation, such as some version of logic, for all possible mathematical theories. He maintained that many mathematical theories, such as the integers, are far better developed than any theory of logic. But the axioms for a collection of closely related theories (Euclidean geometry, for example) could be called the ground or the foundation for that collection of theories. On this issue, Peirce's insight is sound. Although many foundations for mathematics have been proposed during the past century, there is no single foundation that is universally accepted. During the mid 20th century, a group of brilliant mathematicians, called the Bourbaki, began the project of developing a single foundation for all of mathematics. But their foundation was inadequate. See, for example, "The Ignorance of Bourbaki" by Adrian Mathias, https://www.dpmms.cam.ac.uk/~ardm/bourbaki.pdf John
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