[Inquiry] Re: Examples Of Inquiry -- Discussion

[Jon Awbrey]

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EOI.  Discussion Note 5

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JA = Jon Awbrey
TG = Tom Gollier

Tom,

Continuing from where I left off last time ...

TG: Thus, in the diagram:

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| ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` |
| ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` `o Sign (Sensory Cool Air, Dark Cloud)` ` ` ` ` ` ` |
| ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` / ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` |
| ` ` ` ` ` ` ` `/` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` |
| Object o-----<| ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` |
| ` ` ` ` ` ` ` `\` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` |
| ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` \ ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` |
| ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` `o Interpretant (Mental Cool Air, Dark Cloud = rain)|
| ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` |
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Figure 1*. Sign Relation in Dewey's "Rainy Day Inquiry" 

TG: both sign and interpretant are taken as diagrams with certain elements
    and relations between them based on the "ground" of, say, rain or the
    possibility of rain as the basis for abstractively observing the sign
    or imagining the interpretant.  If we ask, abstracted from what, or
    what is the object, that can only be the context or situation.
    If we try to specify the object in any more detail or exactness,
    we don't have an object at all but rather another sign.

I don't have any argument against taking the
sensation of coolness and the conception of
coolness as a sign/interpretant pair, but it
wasn't what Dewey had mentioned in his example,
to which line of thinking I was trying to hew.
I can't follow the identification of espied
dark clouds with the future contingent rain,
however.

As a general issue, it seems that Peirce's theory of signs
is robbed of much of its significance if we cannot take it
to speak of any conceivable objects of speech and thought,
including abstract, conjectural, contingent, hypothetical,
intentional, and potential objects.

Jon Awbrey

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