Peirce's Philosophy of Communication

Download or read book Peirce's Philosophy of Communication written by Mats Bergman and published by A&C Black. This book was released on 2011-11-03 with total page 359 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Charles S. Peirce, the founder of pragmatism, was also the architect of a remarkable theory of signs that continues to puzzle and inspire philosophers today. In this important new book, Mats Bergman articulates a bold new approach to Peirce's semeiotic through a reassessment of the role of rhetoric in his work. This systematic approach, which is offered as an alternative to formalistic accounts of Peirce's project, shows how general sign-theoretical conceptions can plausibly be interpreted as abstractions from everyday communicative experiences and practices. Building on this fallible ground of rhetoric-in-use, Bergman explicates Peirce's semeiotic in a way that is conducive to the development of rhetorical inquiry and philosophical criticism. Following this path, the underpinnings of a uniquely Peircean philosophy of communication is unearthed - a pragmatic conception encased in a normative rhetoric, motivated by the continual need to transform and improve our habits of action.