Dissertation Abstract
Peirce's Philosophy Of
Religion
by
Michael L. Raposa
Degree: PH.D.
Year: 1987
Pages: 00339
Institution:
Source: DAI, 48, no. 03A, (1987): 0674
Charles S. Peirce occupies a secure and significant
position in the annals of American intellectual history. His impact on
contemporary philosophy, logic, semiotic, literary theory and communication
studies has been enormous. Nevertheless, only a handful of theologians and
philosophers of religion have looked to his writings as an important resource;
very few of his commentators have paid to the religious dimension of his
thought the attention that it deserves.
The purpose of this
dissertation is to underscore the role that religious ideas played in shaping
Peirce's philosophy, and to provide a systematic account of his philosophy of
religion. There is a hermeneutical difficulty here; very few of Peirce's
writings are devoted explicitly to religious topics. I contend, however, that
Peirce's interest in and perspective on such topics are manifested throughout
his corpus, in scientific and mathematical papers, as well as in his writings
on metaphysics, cosmology and the normative sciences. I conclude that Peirce's
religious ideas are continuous with and integral to his reflections on these
other issues, so that they must be identified and understood if his work as a
whole is to be interpreted properly. And I suggest that his writings ought to
be considered an important resource for contemporary scholars of religion,
briefly indicating at the end of my study those of his ideas that might be most
fruitfully entertained and developed.
Peirce's most famous essay
in the philosophy of religion, "A Neglected Argument for the Reality of
God," provides a useful sketch of his general religious perspective. I use
the argument there to organize my study; an extended commentary on that essay
comprises my fifth, penultimate chapter.
SUBJECT(S)
Descriptor: RELIGION, PHILOSOPHY OF
Accession
No: AAG8714113
Provider: OCLC
Database: Dissertations