 | Peirce’s semiotic triad — sign, object, interpretant — treats meaning as ongoing interpretation, not fixed labels. Pragmatism ties truth to habits of action that survive inquiry, not private certainty. Charles Sanders Peirce (1931) · Harvard University Press · ISBN 9780674138001 |
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Key principles
- Triadic sign relation — Sign, object, interpretant — meaning lives in interpretation chains, not one-to-one labels.
- Interpretant generation — Each reading produces further signs — understanding is process, not snapshot possession.
- Pragmatic maxim — Clarify concepts by conceivable practical effects — empty abstractions fail the habit test.
- Abduction logic — Inference to best explanation — hypothesis generation precedes deduction and induction.
- Continuity and fallibilism — Knowledge revises under new evidence — certainty theatre blocks inquiry.
- Semiotic hierarchy — Icons, indices, symbols — different sign modes carry different evidentiary force.
Core science
The Collected Papers assemble Peirce’s contributions to logic, pragmatism, and semiotics — foundational for modern sign theory on Semiotics and for later structural linguistics (Saussure) and interpretive social science. Dense primary source; read selected volumes or curated excerpts before attempting full sweep.
Application
Reach for this volume when sign theory needs Peirce’s triadic spine — not Saussure alone — or when coaching language work requires interpretant chains, not fixed reframes. Open Semiotics on the Atlas shelf for the mechanism map.