Philosophical Writings of Peirce
Product ID: 5116006
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"An excellent, discerning introduction. It should prove a real boon to the student of Peirce." — The Modern Schoolman Charles S. Peirce was a thinker of great originality and power. Although unpublished in his lifetime, he was recognized as an equal by such men as William James and John Dewey and, since his death in 1914, has come to the forefront of American philosophy. This volume, prepared by the Johnsonian Professor of Philosophy at Columbia University, formerly chairman of Columbia's philosophy department, is a carefully balanced exposition of Peirce's complete philosophical system as set forth in his own writings. The 28 chapters, in which appropriate sections of Peirce's work are interwoven into a brilliant selection that reveals his essential ideas, cover epistemology, phenomenology, cosmology, and scientific method, with especially interesting material on logic as the theory of signs, pure chance vs, pure law in the universe, symbolic logic, common sense, pragmatism (of which he was the founder), and ethics. Justus Buchler is author of Charles Peirce's Empiricism (1939), Philosophy: An Introduction (with J. H. Randall, Jr., 1942), and more recently, a series of books which form an ongoing philosophic structure: Toward a General Theory of Human Judgement (1951), Nature and Judgment (1855), and The Concept of Method (1961). It has been said of these volumes, "A fresh and vital system of ideas has been introduced into the world of contemporary philosophy." ( Journal of Philosophy ). "It is a very signal advantage to have this collection of Peirce's most important work within the covers of a single substantial volume. We should all be very grateful to Mr. Buchler." — John Laird, Philosophy Review: A brilliant thinker and worth the read - I'm not really sure what my 5 stars means as this is a collection of works. It probably means that I think he was a really important philosopher, more respected as time goes on, and that I find some sympathy with parts of his philosophy. No one should go into this book thinking it will be easy. Much of it is difficult to read and some of it seems subject to the same over-thinking of most philosophers, in my view anyway. I found the first few articles on thinking to be clearer than the later ones, though it is not presented chronologically. I found his pragmatism clear as mud and his semiotics impenetrable. It is possible I'm just not smart enough or don't try hard enough to understand it. It is also possible it is just a lot mental . . . . . . . . . . . . I found his belief in God, stated in the last essay, to be so contrary to so many other positions he took that it was almost startling (although, emotionally understandable, given the time period in which he worked). I don't mean to diminish Peirce (as if I could). His epistemology was ahead of his time. Popper stated that had he discovered Peirce earlier in his life it would have made developing his own epistemology much easier, or something to that effect. And clearly Peirce was a deep and powerful thinker. But whenever I read virtually any philosopher other than Hume I quickly find that I think they have quickly gone beyond what I believe is credible. However, there is nothing easier than criticizing a philosopher and if there is anything in value in them, it is worth quite a lot. Overall, I think the editors did an excellent job presenting the most important part of his philosophy (pragmatism, semiotics or signs and fallibilism) and it is probably the best way for anyone who isn't doing his thesis on him to become familiar with him. Review: Legendary philosopher - Great collection from a pragmatic philosopher who has diverse methods to his field
| Best Sellers Rank | #905,271 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #338 in Epistemology Philosophy #4,285 in History of Philosophy & Schools of Thought |
| Customer Reviews | 4.7 out of 5 stars 73 Reviews |
D**G
A brilliant thinker and worth the read
I'm not really sure what my 5 stars means as this is a collection of works. It probably means that I think he was a really important philosopher, more respected as time goes on, and that I find some sympathy with parts of his philosophy. No one should go into this book thinking it will be easy. Much of it is difficult to read and some of it seems subject to the same over-thinking of most philosophers, in my view anyway. I found the first few articles on thinking to be clearer than the later ones, though it is not presented chronologically. I found his pragmatism clear as mud and his semiotics impenetrable. It is possible I'm just not smart enough or don't try hard enough to understand it. It is also possible it is just a lot mental . . . . . . . . . . . . I found his belief in God, stated in the last essay, to be so contrary to so many other positions he took that it was almost startling (although, emotionally understandable, given the time period in which he worked). I don't mean to diminish Peirce (as if I could). His epistemology was ahead of his time. Popper stated that had he discovered Peirce earlier in his life it would have made developing his own epistemology much easier, or something to that effect. And clearly Peirce was a deep and powerful thinker. But whenever I read virtually any philosopher other than Hume I quickly find that I think they have quickly gone beyond what I believe is credible. However, there is nothing easier than criticizing a philosopher and if there is anything in value in them, it is worth quite a lot. Overall, I think the editors did an excellent job presenting the most important part of his philosophy (pragmatism, semiotics or signs and fallibilism) and it is probably the best way for anyone who isn't doing his thesis on him to become familiar with him.
J**A
Legendary philosopher
Great collection from a pragmatic philosopher who has diverse methods to his field
R**X
Original Peirce wunderkind
Love him. His thinking is delightful, his reasoning so clear and poignant, irreverent to sacred philosophers such as Descartes and Kant. And, then, he propose his ideas. Ideas on semiotics ahead of French semiology. Peirce as our first American philosopher deserves our attention... Ah! fierce Peirce...
G**Y
Read for class
Seemed to be very comprehensive. Still trying to process all the ideas and concepts therein. Try it out yourself. Hm.
A**.
A very nice find from a little known American philosopher.
Super fast and item was as described! Thanks!!!!!!!!!!!!! So the writing style is a little clunky but it is definitely a fascinating book that has a uniquely American perspective on the topics. BTW, this is a great edition.
J**T
Thought provoking
One of the most creative thinkers I have read. Breaks new ground and gets you thinking.
P**S
I studied him 50 years ago and have tried to think like a pragmatist since then
Peirce is a difficult writer/thinker/philosopher. I studied him 50 years ago and have tried to think like a pragmatist since then. But coming back to read some of his basic essays, I still find him difficult.
S**R
I'd rather have Pierce unedited
I have been those who have been influenced by Pierce for some time, so I thought that it would be useful for me to read Piece directly. Not sure if I wanted to go down the path of the more recently released "Collected Works" volumes, which stretch to thousands of pages, I'd hoped that this shorted compendium would be a more manageable introduction. Unfortunately, what is contained therein is NOT Pierce's writings, pers se, but rather Bulcher's efforts to cut apart his varied output and reassemble it, Frankenstein's Monster-like, into a series of (thematic) chapters. Unfortunately, this approach comes across as jumbled together and the shifts in time and style is jarring. I think we'd have been much better served had Bulcher chosen a select set of his works and then presented them wholly (or in edited down fashion).
J**J
GREAT BOOK!
WHAT A READ FROM A RESPECTABLE PHILOSOPHER!
I**S
Some visible wear, and minimal interior marks it said ...
Some visible wear, and minimal interior marks it said on the description. The cover of the book was falling apart while there are plenty pen and yellow underliner markings in the book. Although I don't really find it a problem the book's condition was not as described.
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