Philosophy Research Seminar

Peirce's Theory of Diagrams and Propositions

Speaker: Frederik Stjernfelt,

Aalborg University Copenhagen, Erskine Fellow in Philosophy

Abstract: In all the interest in Peirce's semiotics and icons-indices-symbols, his theories of diagrams and propositions have passed all but unnoticed. This is strange, because P's theory of diagrams forms the centerpiece of his mature epistemology, and his related theory of propositions ("dicisigns") forms an interesting alternative to the Frege-Russell-Wittgenstein lineage of proposition theories because it is purely functional and so does not presuppose human language nor consciousness. This lecture presents these aspects of Peirce's philosophy and argues for their actual relevance.

Time: Tuesday 28 February, 11am—1pm

Place: Logie 104