The Commens Dictionary

Quote from ‘Fallibilism, Continuity, and Evolution [R]’

Quote: 

All positive reasoning is of the nature of judging the proportion of something in a whole collection by the proportion found in a sample. Accordingly, there are three things to which we can never hope to attain by reasoning, namely, absolute certainty, absolute exactitude, absolute universality. We cannot be absolutely certain that our conclusions are even approximately true; for the sample may be utterly unlike the unsampled part of the collection. We cannot pretend to be even probably exact; because the sample consists of but a finite number of instances and only admits special values of the proportion sought. Finally, even if we could ascertain with absolute certainty and exactness that the ratio of sinful men to all men was as 1 to 1; still among the infinite generations of men there would be room for any finite number of sinless men without violating the proportion. The case is the same with a seven legged calf.

Now if exactitude, certitude, and universality are not to be attained by reasoning, there is certainly no other means by which they can be reached.

Date: 
1893 [c.]
References: 
CP 1.141-142
Citation: 
‘Fallibilism’ (pub. 08.01.13-17:35). 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-fallibilism-continuity-and-evolution-r-4.
Posted: 
Jan 08, 2013, 17:35 by Sami Paavola
Last revised: 
Oct 07, 2018, 17:26 by Mats Bergman