Quote from "On the Natural Classification of Arguments"

Commens

Digital Companion to C. S. Peirce

‘Logical Principle’ (pub. 23.03.18-14:49). 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-natural-classification-arguments-3.

Term:

Logical Principle

Quote:

…every argument has, as portion of its leading principle, a certain principle which cannot be eliminated from its leading principle. Such a principle may be termed a logical principle.

An argument whose leading principle contains nothing which can be eliminated is termed a complete, in opposition to an incomplete, rhetorical, or enthymematic argument.

Since it can never be requisite that a fact stated should also be implied in order to justify a conclusion, every logical principle considered as a proposition will be found to be quite empty. Considered as regulating the procedure of inference, it is determinate; but considered as expressing truth, it is nothing.

Source:

Peirce, C. S. (1867). On the Natural Classification of Arguments. Proceedings of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, 7, 261-287.

References:

W 2:24-25

Date of Quote:

1867

Editorial Annotations:

In 1893, Peirce modified the last part of this quote as follows: "Since it can never be requisite that a fact stated should also be implied in order to justify a conclusion, every logical principle considered as an assertion will be found to be quite empty. The only thing it really enunciates is a rule of inference; considered as expressing truth, it is nothing." (CP 2.467)

URL:

http://www.commens.org/dictionary/entry/quote-natural-classification-arguments-3