-
294Naturalism and Wonder: Peirce on the Logic of Hume's Argument Against MiraclesPhilosophia 28 (1-4): 297-318. 2001.Peirce wrote that Hume’s argument against miracles (which is generally liked by twentieth century philosophers for its antireligious conclusion) "completely misunderstood the true nature of" ’abduction’. This paper argues that if Hume’s argumentative strategy were seriously used in all situations (not just those in which we seek to "banish superstition"), it would deliver a choking epistemological conservatism. It suggests that some morals for contemporary naturalistic philosophy may be drawn fr…Read more
-
718Predication and the Problem of UniversalsPhilosophical Papers 30 (2): 117-143. 2001.This paper contrasts the scholastic realisms of David Armstrong and Charles Peirce. It is argued that the so-called 'problem of universals' is not a problem in pure ontology (concerning whether universals exist) as Armstrong construes it. Rather, it pertains to which predicates should be applied where, issues which Armstrong sets aside under the label of 'semantics', and which from a Peircean perspective encompass even fundamentals of scientific methodology. It is argued that Peirce's scholastic…Read more
-
315Naomi Cumming, "The Sonic Self: Musical Subjectivity and Signification" (review)Recherches Semiotiques / Semiotic Inquiry 22 (1-2-3): 315-327. 2002.
-
33Ontologies on the Semantic WebAnnual Review of Information Science and Technology 41 407-451. 2007.As an informational technology, the World Wide Web has enjoyed spectacular success. In just ten years it has transformed the way information is produced, stored, and shared in arenas as diverse as shopping, family photo albums, and high-level academic research. The “Semantic Web” was touted by its developers as equally revolutionary but has not yet achieved anything like the Web’s exponential uptake. This 17 000 word survey article explores why this might be so, from a perspective that bridges b…Read more
-
107Real Law in Charles Peirce's PragmaticismIn Howard Sankey (ed.), Causation and Laws of Nature, Kluwer Academic Publishers. pp. 125--142. 1999.How scholastic realism met the scientific method
-
601Extension, Intension and Dormitive VirtueTransactions of the Charles S. Peirce Society 35 (4). 1999.Would be fairer to call Peirce’s philosophy of language “extensionalist” or “intensionalist”? The extensionalisms of Carnap and Quine are examined, and Peirce’s view is found to be prima facie similar, except for his commitment to the importance of “hypostatic abstraction”. Rather than dismissing this form of abstraction (famously derided by Molière) as useless scholasticism, Peirce argues that it represents a crucial (though largely unnoticed) step in much working inference. This, it is argued,…Read more
Deakin, Victoria, Australia
Areas of Interest
2 more
Metaphilosophy |
History of Western Philosophy |
Meaning |
Truth |
Philosophy of Cognitive Science |
Wilfrid Sellars |
Ludwig Wittgenstein |