Abstract
This paper deals with some aspects of the history of C. S. Peirce's Existential Graphs. In his construction of this graphical method during 1896–1897 Peirce was motivated by some interesting considerations regarding diagrammatical reasoning. In the present paper this motivation will be briefly discussed. Whereas Peirce managed to bring the graphical systems of Alpha and Beta Graphs to a high degree of perfection, his treatment of the Gamma Graphs remained tentative and unfinished. Some of his suggestions can also be shown to be mistaken. It is, however, clear that Peirce with his Gamma Graphs was aiming at a complicated system in which one can deal with a number of interesting problems regarding various kinds of modality. Peirce, himself, was well aware of the shortcomings of his treatment of the Gamma Graphs, and he mainly concentrated on the formulation of a Gamma agenda for his followers.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Preview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
References
Allwein, G. and Barwise, J. (ed.), Logical Reasoning with Diagrams, Oxford University Press, 1996.
Berg, Harmen van den,“Modal Logic for Conceptual Graphs”, in Mineau, Guy W.; Moulin, Bernard; Sowa, John (editors), Conceptual Graphs for Knowledge RepresentationConceptual Graphs for Knowledge Representation, Springer-Verlag 1993, pp.411–429.
Burch, R. W., “Game-Theoretical Semantics for Peirce's Existential Graphs”, Synthese 99: 361–375, 1994.
Hammer, Eric, “Peirce on Logical Diagrams”, Transactions of the Charles S. Peirce Society, Fall, 1995, Vol. XXXI, No. 4, 1995, pp. 807–827.
Heaton, J.E., Goal Driven Theorem Proving Using Conceptual Graphs and Peirce Logic, Ph.D. Thesis, Loughborough University, UK, 1994.
Keeler, M., “The Philosophical Context of Peirce's Existential Graphs”, Proceedings of the International Conceptual Structures Conference, University of California, Santa Cruz, 1995, pp. 150–165.
Keeler, M. & Kloesel, C., “Communication, Semiotic Continuity, and the Margins of the Peircean Text”, in Margins of the Text, edited by David C. Greetham, Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press, 1996 (Can be obtained from http://accord.iupui.edu/accord/margins.txt).
Kevelson, Roberta, Charles S. Peirce's Method of Methods, John Benjamins Publishing Company, 1987.
Kocura, P., “Conceptual Graph Canonicity and Semantic Constraints”, in Eklund, P., Ellis, G., Mann, G. (ed.), Conceptual Structures: Knowledge Representation as Interlingua, Auxiliary Proceedings, 1996, p.133–145.
Peirce, C.S., Reasoning and the Logic of Things, (edited by Kenneth Laine Ketner), Harvard University Press, 1992.
Peirce, C.S., Collected Papers, 8 volumes (eds. P. Weiss, A. Burks, C. Hartshorne), Cambridge: Harward University Press (CP). 1931–1958.
Peirce, C.S., Application to the Carnegie Institution, July 15, 1902, Manuscript L75, Analytical reconstruction and editorial work by Joseph Ransdell, Indiana University, 1994.
Roberts, Don D., The Existential Graphs of Charles S. Peirce, Mouton, 1973.
Roberts, Don. D., “The Existential Graphs”, Computers Math Applic. Vol. 23 (1992), No. 6–9, 1992, pp. 639–663
Sun-Joo Shin, “Peirce and the Logical Status of Digrams”, History and Philosophy of Logic, 15, 1994, pp. 45–58
Øhrstrøm, P., van den Berg, H., Schmidt, J., “Some Peircean Problems Regarding Graphs for Time and Modality”, Second International Conference on Conceptual Structures, University of Maryland, 1994, p.78–92.
Øhrstrøm, P. & Hasle, P.E.V., Temporal Logic. From Ancient Ideas to Artificial Intelligence, Studies in Linguistics and Philosophy 57, Kluwer Academic Publishers, 1995.
Øhrstrøm, P., “Existential Graphs and Tense Logic”, in Eklund, P., Ellis, G., Mann, G. (ed.), Conceptual Structures: Knowledge Representation as Interlingua, Springer-Verlag, 1996, p.203–217.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 1997 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg
About this paper
Cite this paper
Øhrstrøm, P. (1997). C. S. Peirce and the quest for gamma graphs. In: Lukose, D., Delugach, H., Keeler, M., Searle, L., Sowa, J. (eds) Conceptual Structures: Fulfilling Peirce's Dream. ICCS 1997. Lecture Notes in Computer Science, vol 1257. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/BFb0027883
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BFb0027883
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg
Print ISBN: 978-3-540-63308-2
Online ISBN: 978-3-540-69424-3
eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive