ABSTRACT

First Published in 1999. The purpose of this series is to provide a contemporary assessment and history of the entire course of philosophical thought. Each book constitutes a detailed, critical introduction to the work of a philosopher of major influence and significance. Many people share the opinion that Charles S.Peirce is a philosophical giant, perhaps the most important philosopher to have emerged in the United States. Most philosophers think of him as the founder of ‘pragmatism’. But, curiously, few have read more than two or three of his best-known papers, and these somewhat unrepresentative ones. On reading further, one finds a rich and impressive corpus of writings, containing imaginative and original discussions of a wide range of issues in most areas of philosophy.

chapter 1|9 pages

Introduction

part |1 pages

Part One PEIRCE’S PROJECT: THE PURSUIT OF TRUTH

chapter I|20 pages

Logic, Mind and Reality: Early Thoughts

chapter II|30 pages

Truth and the Aims of Inquiry

chapter III|29 pages

Categories

chapter |3 pages

Conclusion to Part One

part |1 pages

Part Two KNOWLEDGE AND REALITY

chapter V|23 pages

Perception and the Outward Clash

chapter VI|21 pages

Mathematical Reasoning and the a Priori

chapter VIII|22 pages

Pragmatism