The Essential Peirce by Peirce Edition Project

Author:Peirce Edition Project
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780253007810
Publisher: Indiana University Press

In the course of the above descriptions of the classes, certain subdivisions of some of them have been directly or indirectly referred to. Namely, besides the normal varieties of Sinsigns, Indices, and Dicisigns, there are others which are Replicas of Legisigns, Symbols, and Arguments, respectively. Besides the normal varieties of Qualisigns, Icons, and Rhemes, there are two series of others; to wit, those which are directly involved in Sinsigns, Indices, and Dicisigns, respectively, and also those which are indirectly involved in Legisigns, Symbols, and Arguments, respectively. Thus, the ordinary Dicent Sinsign is exemplified by a weathercock and its veering and by a photograph. The fact that the latter is known to be the effect of the radiations from the object renders it an Index and highly informative. A second variety is a Replica of a Dicent Indexical Legisign. Thus any given street-cry, since its tone and theme identifies the individual, is not a Symbol, but an Indexical Legisign; and any individual instance of it is a Replica of it which is a Dicent Sinsign. A third variety is a Replica of a Proposition. A fourth variety is a Replica of an Argument. Besides the normal variety of the Dicent Indexical Legisign, of which a street-cry is an example, there is a second variety which is that sort of proposition which has the name of a well-known individual as its predicate; as if one is asked “Whose statue is this?” the answer may be, “It is Farragut.” The meaning of this answer is a Dicent Indexical Legisign. A third variety may be a premiss of an argument. A Dicent Symbol, or ordinary proposition, in so far as it is a premiss of an argument, takes on a new force, and becomes a second variety of the Dicent Symbol. It would not be worth while to go through all the varieties; but it may be well to consider the varieties of one class more. We may take the Rhematic Indexical Legisign. The shout of “Hullo!” is an example of the ordinary variety,—meaning, not an individual shout, but this shout, “Hullo!” in general,—this type of shout. A second variety is a constituent of a Dicent Indexical Legisign; as the word “that” in the reply “That is Farragut.” A third variety is a particular application of a Rhematic Symbol; as the exclamation “Hark!” A fourth and fifth variety are in the peculiar force a general word may have in a proposition or argument. It is not impossible that some varieties are here overlooked. It is a nice problem to say to what class a given sign belongs; since all the circumstances of the case have to be considered. But it is seldom requisite to be very accurate; for if one does not locate the sign precisely, one will easily come near enough to its character for any ordinary purpose of logic.

There are other subdivisions of some, at least, of the ten classes which are of greater logical importance. An argument is always understood by

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