The Blot

Ahti Veikko Pietarinen*, Francesco Bellucci, Angelina Bobrova, Nathan Haydon, Mohammad Shafiei

*Corresponding author for this work

    Research output: Chapter in book/report/conference proceedingConference proceedingpeer-review

    4 Citations (Scopus)

    Abstract

    The blot is a sign in Peirce’s diagrammatic syntax of existential graphs that has hitherto been neglected in the literature on logical graphs. It is needed in order to trigger the cut-as-negation to come out from the scroll, namely from the implicational sign of a positive implicational (paradisiacal) logic. Since the cut-as-negation presupposes the blot and the scroll, what does the blot represent? On the one hand, it stands for constant absurdity, but on the other hand, Peirce takes it to be an affirmative sign. This paper explores the blot and its logical and conceptual properties from the multiple perspectives of notation, rules of transformation, icons, and scriptibility of graphs. It explains the apparent conflict in the blot’s meaning in its capacity of giving rise to the pseudo-graph that exploits positive character of absurdity. In effect, the blot is the mirror image of the sheet of assertion, not its complementation. On the sheet, it acts as a non-juxtaposable singularity.

    Original languageEnglish
    Title of host publicationDiagrammatic Representation and Inference
    Subtitle of host publication11th International Conference, Diagrams 2020, Tallinn, Estonia, August 24–28, 2020, Proceedings
    EditorsAhti-Veikko Pietarinen, Peter Chapman, Leonie Bosveld-de Smet, Valeria Giardino, James Corter, Sven Linker
    PublisherSpringer Cham
    Pages225-238
    Number of pages14
    Edition1st
    ISBN (Electronic)9783030542498
    ISBN (Print)9783030542481
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - 29 Jul 2020
    Event11th International Conference on the Theory and Application of Diagrams, Diagrams 2020 - Tallinn, Estonia
    Duration: 24 Aug 202028 Aug 2020
    https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-030-54249-8

    Publication series

    NameLecture Notes in Computer Science
    Volume12169
    ISSN (Print)0302-9743
    ISSN (Electronic)1611-3349
    NameLecture Notes in Artificial Intelligence
    NameDiagrams: International Conference on Theory and Application of Diagrams

    Conference

    Conference11th International Conference on the Theory and Application of Diagrams, Diagrams 2020
    Country/TerritoryEstonia
    CityTallinn
    Period24/08/2028/08/20
    Internet address

    Scopus Subject Areas

    • Theoretical Computer Science
    • Computer Science(all)

    User-Defined Keywords

    • Absurdity
    • Blot
    • Existential graphs
    • Pseudo-graph
    • Scriptibility
    • Scroll

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