Charles Sanders Peirce’s semiotics of truth: modern interpretations in science and education
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.31874/2309-1606-2025-31-1-13Keywords:
abduction, Wittgenstein, sign, truth, science, education, Charles Sanders Peirce, pragmatism, semiosis, theory, fallibilism, philosophyAbstract
The article presents a comprehensive analysis of Charles Sanders Peirce’s semiotic theory of truth and its significance for contemporary philosophical, scientific, and educational discourses. The author thoroughly examines the uniqueness of Peirce’s concept, which synthesizes four classical approaches to truth: correspondence, coherence, consensus, and instrumental. Special emphasis is placed on Peirce’s critique of nominalism and his justification of semiotic realism, where truth is understood not as a static entity but as a dynamic result of collective scientific inquiry achieved through the endless process of semiosis – the interpretation of signs. A significant section of the article is devoted to Peirce’s methodological innovations, particularly his theory of inference, which includes abduction (as a creative method of hypothesis formation), induction, and deduction. The author demonstrates how this triad of logical processes forms the foundation of scientific cognition. The article also analyzes Peirce’s classification of sciences, which establishes a hierarchy from abstract mathematics to concrete empirical disciplines. In the educational context, the article highlights the revolutionary potential of Peirce’s ideas, including: The role of abductive reasoning in developing creativity The concept of a “community of inquiry” as a model for the educational process Fallibilism as a methodological principle that redefines the role of errors in learning A semiotic approach to education as a process of continuous sign interpretation The research is based on a thorough analysis of Peirce’s works and contemporary interpretations (Misak, Hookway, Lane, etc.), demonstrating the relevance of his ideas for overcoming modern relativism and integrating philosophical, scientific, and educational practices. Peirce’s theory of truth offers a powerful toolkit for developing critical thinking and collective knowledge-seeking in the digital age.
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