63 Letter to James Howard Kehler, June 22, 1911
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Ahti-Veikko Pietarinen
R L 231, R 514, R 764, Houghton Library. In this extensive autobiographical letter, prompted by Victoria Welby’s introduction, Peirce recounts his life’s work to a business executive and journalist James Howard Kehler. He traces his logical journey from mastering Whately’s Logic at age 13 to critiquing Kant and Boole, culminating in his Existential Graphs—a Diagrammatic Syntax designed to dissect reasoning into elemental steps. Peirce details the Graphs’ rules (erasure, insertion, de/iteration) and their pedagogical value for exposing fallacies in mathematical deduction. The letter then pivots to probability, where it dismantles Laplace’s inverse probabilities and defines chance via endless sequences and limit-convergence. Peirce classifies reasoning into three types: Deduction (necessary or probable, corollarial or theorematic), Induction (or Adduction, self-correcting over time), and Retroduction (abductive conjecture-making), positioning the latter as the wellspring of scientific discovery. Amid reflections on his gravity research and academic marginalisation, he frames logic as a critic anchoring truth in communal inquiry. The letter stands as Peirce’s intellectual testament combining technical rigor, metaphysical urgency, and a defense of the powers of retroduction to exalt conjectures in the mental realm.
R L 231, R 514, R 764, Houghton Library. In this extensive autobiographical letter, prompted by Victoria Welby’s introduction, Peirce recounts his life’s work to a business executive and journalist James Howard Kehler. He traces his logical journey from mastering Whately’s Logic at age 13 to critiquing Kant and Boole, culminating in his Existential Graphs—a Diagrammatic Syntax designed to dissect reasoning into elemental steps. Peirce details the Graphs’ rules (erasure, insertion, de/iteration) and their pedagogical value for exposing fallacies in mathematical deduction. The letter then pivots to probability, where it dismantles Laplace’s inverse probabilities and defines chance via endless sequences and limit-convergence. Peirce classifies reasoning into three types: Deduction (necessary or probable, corollarial or theorematic), Induction (or Adduction, self-correcting over time), and Retroduction (abductive conjecture-making), positioning the latter as the wellspring of scientific discovery. Amid reflections on his gravity research and academic marginalisation, he frames logic as a critic anchoring truth in communal inquiry. The letter stands as Peirce’s intellectual testament combining technical rigor, metaphysical urgency, and a defense of the powers of retroduction to exalt conjectures in the mental realm.
Chapters in this book
- Frontmatter I
- Acknowledgments
- Abbreviations of Peirce’s Works, Archives, and Names
- Introductory Note XV
- Foreword XVII
- Contents XXI
- General Introduction to Logic of the Future 1
- Introduction to the Theory of Existential Graphs, Volumes 3/1 and 3/2 15
- Introduction to Peirce’s Correspondence on Existential Graphs 29
- Afterword 200
- References 205
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Charles S. Peirce’s Correspondence on Existential Graphs
- 55 Letters on Dictionary of Philosophy and Psychology, 1900–1902 239
- 56 Entries for Dictionary of Philosophy and Psychology, 1900–1902 257
- 57 Letters to Josiah Royce, 1903–1913 296
- 58 Peirce–Paul Carus–Francis C. Russell Correspondence, 1896–1919 303
- 59 Letters to William James, 1897–1910 376
- 60 Letter to E. V. Huntington, February 14, 1904 426
- 61 Letters to Victoria Welby, 1905–1909 430
- 62 Letters to Samuel Barnett, 1909–1910 473
- 63 Letter to James Howard Kehler, June 22, 1911 487
- 64 Letter to Fernand Robert, September 29, 1911 548
- 65 Letter to Allan Douglas Risteen, December 6–9, 1911 556
- 66 Correspondence with Frederick Adams Woods, 1911–1913 564
- 67 Letter to Fellow, 1909, and to Henry James Jr., 1911 590
- 68 Epilogue: Correspondence with Mary Elizabeth Huntington, 1907–1914 606
- Chronology of the Correspondence 637
- Bibliography of Peirce’s References
- Contents of previous volumes 653
- Name Index
- Keyword Index
Chapters in this book
- Frontmatter I
- Acknowledgments
- Abbreviations of Peirce’s Works, Archives, and Names
- Introductory Note XV
- Foreword XVII
- Contents XXI
- General Introduction to Logic of the Future 1
- Introduction to the Theory of Existential Graphs, Volumes 3/1 and 3/2 15
- Introduction to Peirce’s Correspondence on Existential Graphs 29
- Afterword 200
- References 205
-
Charles S. Peirce’s Correspondence on Existential Graphs
- 55 Letters on Dictionary of Philosophy and Psychology, 1900–1902 239
- 56 Entries for Dictionary of Philosophy and Psychology, 1900–1902 257
- 57 Letters to Josiah Royce, 1903–1913 296
- 58 Peirce–Paul Carus–Francis C. Russell Correspondence, 1896–1919 303
- 59 Letters to William James, 1897–1910 376
- 60 Letter to E. V. Huntington, February 14, 1904 426
- 61 Letters to Victoria Welby, 1905–1909 430
- 62 Letters to Samuel Barnett, 1909–1910 473
- 63 Letter to James Howard Kehler, June 22, 1911 487
- 64 Letter to Fernand Robert, September 29, 1911 548
- 65 Letter to Allan Douglas Risteen, December 6–9, 1911 556
- 66 Correspondence with Frederick Adams Woods, 1911–1913 564
- 67 Letter to Fellow, 1909, and to Henry James Jr., 1911 590
- 68 Epilogue: Correspondence with Mary Elizabeth Huntington, 1907–1914 606
- Chronology of the Correspondence 637
- Bibliography of Peirce’s References
- Contents of previous volumes 653
- Name Index
- Keyword Index
