The Commens Dictionary

Quote from ‘Letters to Mario Calderoni’

Quote: 

Even Duns Scotus is too nominalistic when he says that universals are contracted to the mode of individuality in singulars, meaning, as he does, by singulars, ordinary existing things. The pragmaticist cannot admit that. I myself went too far in the direction of nominalism when I said that it was a mere question of the convenience of speech whether we say that a diamond is hard when it is not pressed upon, or whether we say that it is soft until it is pressed upon. I now say that experiment will prove that the diamond is hard, as a positive fact. That is, it is a real fact that it would resist pressure, which amounts to extreme scholastic realism.

Date: 
1905
References: 
CP 8.208
Citation: 
‘Scholastic Realism’ (pub. 06.06.14-13:55). Quote in M. Bergman & S. Paavola (Eds.), The Commens Dictionary: Peirce's Terms in His Own Words. New Edition. Retrieved from http://www.commens.org/dictionary/entry/quote-letter-draft-mario-calderoni-7.
Posted: 
Jun 06, 2014, 13:55 by Sami Paavola
Last revised: 
Jun 08, 2014, 19:06 by Mats Bergman