Reasoning and the Logic of Things: The Cambridge Conferences Lectures of 1898 / Edition 1

by Charles Sanders Peirce, Kenneth Laine Ketner, Hilary Putnam

Overview

Charles Sanders Peirce (1839–1914) was an American philosopher, physicist, mathematician, and the founder of pragmatism. Despite his importance in the history of philosophy, a unified statement of his thought has been unavailable. With this publication, readers at long last are offered the philosopher’s only known, complete, and coherent account of his own work. Originally delivered as the Cambridge Conferences Lectures of 1898, Reasoning and the Logic of Things is the most accessible and thorough introduction to Peirce’s mature thought to be found within the compass of a single book.

Beginning with an explanation of the nature of philosophy, Peirce proceeds to illustrate his claim that mathematics provides the foundation of our logic and metaphysics. We find here the clearest formulation of an idea present in Peirce’s thought since the 1860s, the distinction between three kinds of reasoning: induction, deduction, and retroduction. Then follows an introduction to Peirce’s chief logical doctrines, as well as his attempts to provide a classification of the sciences, a theory of categories, and a theory of science. In conclusion, turning from “reasoning” to the “logic of things,” Peirce called for an evolutionary cosmology to explain the reality of laws and described the kinds of reasoning he employed in developing this cosmology.

At the urging of his friend William James, Peirce made an uncharacteristic effort in these lectures to present his ideas in terms intelligible to a general audience—those without advanced training in logic and philosophy. The introductory materials by Kenneth Ketner and Hilary Putman add to the volume’s lucidity. Consequently, this book will be a valuable source for readers outside of the circle of Peirce specialists.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780674749672
Publisher:	Harvard University Press
Publication date:	01/12/1993
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	312
Product dimensions:	6.12(w) x 9.25(h) x 0.75(d)

About the Author

Kenneth Laine Ketner is Charles Sanders Peirce Professor of Philosophy at Texas Tech University.

Hilary Putnam was Cogan University Professor, Emeritus, at Harvard University.

Table of Contents

Editorial Procedures

Abbreviations

Introduction: The Consequences of Mathematics

Kenneth Laine Ketner and Hilary Putman

Comment on the Lectures

Hilary Putman

Lecture One: Philosophy and the Conduct of Life

Lecture Two: Types of Reasoning

[Exordium for Lecture Three]

Lecture Three: The Logic of Relatives

Lecture Four: First Rule of Logic

Lecture Five: Training in Reasoning

Lecture Six: Causation and Force

Lecture Seven: Habit

Lecture Eight: The Logic of Continuity

Notes

Index