Initial Interpretant   

Initial Interpretant

Commens
Digital Companion to C. S. Peirce
Initial Interpretant
1910-08-23 | Letters to Paul Carus | ILS 285

Now we can regard the Interpretant in 3 ways, or rather there are 3 distinct things which may properly be regarded as the Interpretant. For any thing that the sign, as such, effects may be considered as the Interpretant. And this may be 1stsomething merely subjective, the vague determination of the consciousness effected by the sign, 2ndthe actual event that some signs by virtue of really acting as such bring about. [—]

I only make use of one division according to the 1st of the above, the Initial Interpretant, as I call it.

nd | Provisional Tables of the Division of Signs [R] | MS [R] S46

The Eventual Interpretant of Sign is all that General Truth that it destines, in view of the other general truths of the universe, conditionally upon its full acceptance. It is the sum and substance of all the real difference that its acceptance will make. Its Initial Interpretant is so much of this as is logically necessary, that vague form of result that can be foreseen from the outset without special observations of fact.