Charles Sanders Peirce: Philosopher, Scientist, Writer

This chapter is a brief look at the life and work of Charles Sanders Peirce (1839–1914). In his youth his style was vigorous and cryptic; but during his later years he composed with brilliance and freedom, and even looseness, with less care for accuracy than during his early days. As both a philosopher and a scientist Peirce studied the universe, using the work of previous philosophers and the method of the sciences to guide his conjectures about its constitution. For him the method of the sciences was not only a tool employed in examining nature, but was also the direct object of his careful study. A lifelong associate of scientists, Peirce says that he devoted many years to the study of the methods employed by them. He brought to this study a developed power for philosophical thought on the nature of knowledge and the methods of acquiring it. However, though he was a prolific writer, he did not succeed in publishing a book on any of the important topics which interested him, including philosophy. And although he dreamed of major composition, none of the great topics of interest to him ever received adequate treatment in a single work.