Creativity and Existential Graphs in C. S. Peirce
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.26512/rfmc.v7i3.28453Keywords:
diagrammatical logic; deduction; creativity; Charles S. Peirce; existential graphsAbstract
Deductive reasoning is usually understood as analytical and explanatory, in the sense that it adds nothing to the conclusion that is not already contained in the premises of the argument. However, two important conclusions of Charles S. Peirce’s philosophy of logic challenge the supposed triviality of deductive reasoning: (i) deduction is a matter of experiment and observation; and (ii) deduction is a kind of diagrammatic reasoning. The aim of this paper is to show how these two conclusions are interconnected and how together they can elucidate some creative aspects of logic. To this end, the following theses will be discussed. First, deductive proof includes a creative step (Peirce calls it theorematic deduction) which explains how analytical reasoning can be, in some cases, surprising in its conclusions. Second, formal systems that include diagrammatic representations, such as Existential Graphs, are more efficient to represent deductive inferences of the theorematic type.
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