Charles Sanders Peirce

science as semiotics

Abstract

The diagram of sign when applied to the understanding of science gives place to an original correation correlation of abduction or retroduction, deduction and induction. The conjunction of abduction and deduction consists of a general Form of logical possibility. Induction in its turn, establishes, in the long run, the ratio of frequency of the accomplishment of expected consequences of general representations in the universe of facts. As a formal construction, science as semiotics sustains itself even if it has as its object an universe of pure chance. Nevertheless, within Peirce s philosophical system, science retains its meaning only if it corresponds to the reality of Nature. The warrant of this statistically relevant correspondance would be the fact that human instinct belonged to the same stage of evolution as the whole universe.