ONT Re: Inquiry Driven Systems
o~~~~~~~~~o~~~~~~~~~o~~~~~~~~~o~~~~~~~~~o~~~~~~~~~o
Note 21
o~~~~~~~~~o~~~~~~~~~o~~~~~~~~~o~~~~~~~~~o~~~~~~~~~o
CP 7.162-255. The Logic of Drawing History from Ancient Documents (1901)
CP 7.183-188. The Logic of Science
CP 7.187. [Measures of Deliberate Adoption, Endeavors to Anticipate the End]
| Confining ourselves to science, inference, in the broadest sense,
| is coextensive with the deliberate adoption, in any measure, of an
| assertion as true. For deliberation implies that the adoption is
| voluntary; and consequently, the observation of perceptual facts
| that are forced upon us in experience is excluded. General principles,
| on the other hand, if deliberately adopted, must have been subjected to
| criticism; and any criticism of them that can be called scientific and
| that results in their acceptance must an involve an argument in favor of
| their truth. My statement was that an inference, in the broadest sense,
| is a deliberate adoption, 'in any measure', of an assertion as true.
| The phrase "in any measure" is not as clear as might be wished.
| "Measure", here translates 'modus'. The modes of acceptance of an
| assertion that are traditionally recognized are the necessary, the
| possible, and the contingent. But we shall learn more accurately,
| as our inquiry proceeds, how the different measures of acceptance
| are to be enumerated and defined. Then, as to the word "true", I
| may be asked what this means. Now the different sciences deal with
| different kinds of truth; mathematical truth is one thing, ethical
| truth is another, the actually existing state of the universe is a
| third; but all those different conceptions have in common something
| very marked and clear. We all hope that the different scientific
| inquiries in which we are severally engaged are going ultimately to
| lead to some definitely established conclusion, which conclusion we
| endeavor to anticipate in some measure. Agreement with that ultimate
| proposition that we look forward to, -- agreement with that, whatever
| it may turn out to be, is the scientific truth.
|
| C.S. Peirce, 'Collected Papers', CP 7.187
o~~~~~~~~~o~~~~~~~~~o~~~~~~~~~o~~~~~~~~~o~~~~~~~~~o