Existential Graphs: History and Interpretation

Francesco Bellucci, Ahti-Veikko Pietarinen*

*Corresponding author for this work

    Research output: Chapter in book/report/conference proceedingChapterpeer-review

    Abstract

    Existential graphs are a notation for first-order logic (alpha and beta departments) and higher-order logics (gamma department) that Charles S. Peirce created in 1896. This chapter surveys the evolution of Peirce’s notational experiments with graphical notations, from his work of the early 1880s up to the discovery of existential graphs in 1896 and beyond. The chapter explains the main notational differences between Peirce’s logical graphs, early and late, including his algebraical systems, by means of two pairs of notational parameters, “linearity/non-linearity” and “type- / occurrence-referentiality,” and shows how Peirce was able to maintain the expressivity of his algebraical systems while abandoning linearity and type-referentiality in the logical graphs.
    Original languageEnglish
    Title of host publicationThe Oxford Handbook of Charles S. Peirce
    EditorsCornelis de Waal
    Place of PublicationNew York
    PublisherOxford University Press
    Chapter14
    Pages240-260
    Number of pages21
    Edition1st
    ISBN (Electronic)9780197548592
    ISBN (Print)9780197548561
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - 19 Feb 2024

    Publication series

    NameOxford Handbooks
    PublisherOxford University Press

    Scopus Subject Areas

    • Arts and Humanities(all)

    User-Defined Keywords

    • Charles S. Peirce
    • entitative graphs
    • existential graphs
    • logical notations
    • quantification
    • Logical notations
    • Quantification
    • Existential graphs
    • Entitative graphs

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