Peirce’s Arguments for his Pragmatistic Maxim

Abstract

Pragmaticism is mainly a method for ascertaining the meaning of intellectual concepts. At first glance, its kernel, crystallized in Peirce’s maxim, does not seem difficult to understand. But, when searching for its underlying arguments, one often feels uneasy chewing the abstruse concepts, scattered assertions and vagrant observations. Moreover, brilliant though the ingredients of the doctrine may be, they are often complex, and Peirce did not always present his arguments in a clear manner.