Peirce's Scientific Metaphysics

Andrew Reynolds

Description

Peirce's Scientific Metaphysics is the first book devoted to understanding Charles Sanders Peirce's (1839-1914) metaphysics from the perspective of the scientific questions that motivated his thinking. While offering a detailed account of the scientific ideas and theories essential for understanding Peirce's metaphysical system, this book is written in a manner accessible to the non-specialist.

Sujets

• History of Science
• Philosophie et théologie
• Philosophy

Informations

• Publié par: Vanderbilt University Press
• Date de parution: 03 juin 2002
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9780826591517
• Langue: English

Extrait

Peirce’s Metaphysics Scientific

The Philosophy of Chance, Law, and Evolution

Andrew Reynolds

Peirce’s Scientific Metaphysics

THE VANDERBILT LIBRARY OF AMERICAN PHILOSOPHY offers interpretive perspectives on the historical roots of American philosophy and on present innovative developments in American thought, including studies of values, naturalism, social philosophy, cultural criticism, and applied ethics.

Series Editors Herman J. Saatkamp, Jr., General Editor (Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis) Cornelis de Waal, Associate Editor (Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis)

Editorial Advisory Board Kwame Anthony Appiah (Harvard) Larry Hickman (Southern Illinois University) John Lachs (Vanderbilt) John J. McDermott (Texas A&M) Joel Porte (Cornell) Hilary Putnam (Harvard) Ruth Anna Putnam (Wellesley) Beth J. Singer (Brooklyn College) John J. Stuhr (Pennsylvania State)

Peirce’s Scientific Metaphysics

The Philosophy of Chance, Law,and Evolution

Andrew Reynolds

Vanderbilt University Press Nashville

© 2002 Vanderbilt University Press All rights reserved First Edition 2002

This book is printed on acid-free paper. Manufactured in the United States of America

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Reynolds, Andrew, 1966- Peirce’s scientific metaphysics : the philosophy of chance, law, and evolution / Andrew Reynolds. p. cm. — (Vanderbilt library of American philosophy) Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 0-8265-1396-4 (alk. paper) 1. Peirce, Charles S. (Charles Sanders), 1839–1914— Contributions in metaphysics. 2. Metaphysics. I. Title. II. Series. B945.P44 R49 2002 110'.92—dc21 2001006557

To my parents

Contents

1

2

Texts and Abbreviations

Acknowledgments

Introduction

1

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Scientific and Philosophical Background 5 Naturphilosophie, Evolution, and the Law of Large Numbers 5 Agnosticism, Necessitarianism, and the Mechanical Philosophy 7 Synechism, Tychism, and Agapism 10 Motivations for a Cosmology 13 What Is a Hypothesis? 14 Synechism 17 Objective Idealism 18 A Summary Statement of the Cosmology 23 Summary 25 Irreversibility in Physics 26 Nineteenth-Century Physics 27 The Laws of Motion 28 The Law of Vis Viva 30 The Conservation of Energy Principle 32 The Doctrine of the Conservation of Energy 37 Conditions for Reversibility 39 The Second Law of Thermodynamics, the Kinetic Theory of Gases, and the Law of Large Numbers 41 Summary 47

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Peirce’s Scientific Metaphysics

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7

Irreversibility in Psychics 49 The Law of Mind 49 Causation and Mental Activity 54 Teleology and the Action of Mind 57 The Problem of Mind–Matter Reductionism 59 What Is Time? 64 Summary 75 Irreversibility in Physiology and Evolution 76 Physiology 77 The Molecular Theory of Protoplasm77 Protoplasm, Habit, and Nutrition81 Evolution 97 The Influence of Darwin97 Peirce’s Classification of Evolutionary Philosophies Summary 108 Cosmology and Synechism 110 Order Out of Chaos 113 Variation and the Law of Large Numbers 118 Agapasm and the Law of Large Numbers 121 Rival Cosmologies 124 Elliptic Philosophy125 Parabolic Philosophy126 Hyperbolic Philosophy130 Peirce’s Acquaintance with Modern Physics 137 Chance and Law 142 What Is Chance? 143 The Laws of Chance 157 The Law of Habit 159 The Redundancy Problem161 The Incompatibility Problem162 Peirce and Prigogine 173 Conclusion 176

Notes

185

Bibliography

Index

223

213

106

Texts and Abbreviations

The following sources of Peirce’s writings are referred to throughout the book by the indicated abbreviations.

n.n:Collected Papers of Charles Sanders Peirce, edited by C. Hartshorne, P. Weiss (volumes 1–6), and A. Burks (volumes 7–8) (Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1931–58); numbers in parentheses indicate volume and paragraph number. C:The Century Dictionary, William D. Whitney, chief editor, 10 volumes (New York: The Century Co., 1895). EP:The Essential Peirce: Selected Philosophical Writings, edited by Nathan Houser and Christian Kloesel (volume 1), (Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1992), and the Peirce Edition Project (volume 2), (Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1998); followed by volume and page number. HP:Historical Perspectives on Peirce’s Logic of Science, edited by Carolyn Eisele, 2 volumes (Berlin: Mouton, 1985); followed by volume and page number. MS: Microfiche version of the Peirce manuscripts in Houghton Library, Harvard University; numbers indicate those from Richard Robin’sAnnotated Catalogue of the Papers of Charles S. Peirce(Amherst: University of Massachusetts Press, 1967). N:Charles Sanders Peirce: Contributions to The Nation, edited by Kenneth Laine Ketner and James Cook, 4 volumes (Lubbock: Texas Tech University Press, 1975–87); followed by volume and page number. NEM:The New Elements of Mathematics by Charles S. Peirce, edited by Carolyn Eisele, 4 volumes in 5 books (The Hague: Mouton, 1976); followed by volume and page number.

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