Peirce's Philosophy of Communication : The Rhetorical Underpinnings of the Theory of Signs PDF

Charles S. Peirce, the founder of pragmatism, was also the architect of a remarkable theory of signs that continues to puzzle and inspire philosophers today.

In this important new book, Mats Bergman articulates a bold new approach to Peirce's semeiotic through a reassessment of the role of rhetoric in his work.

This systematic approach, which is offered as an alternative to formalistic accounts of Peirce's project, shows how general sign-theoretical conceptions can plausibly be interpreted as abstractions from everyday communicative experiences and practices.

Building on this fallible ground of rhetoric-in-use, Bergman explicates Peirce's semeiotic in a way that is conducive to the development of rhetorical inquiry and philosophical criticism.

Following this path, the underpinnings of a uniquely Peircean philosophy of communication is unearthed - a pragmatic conception encased in a normative rhetoric, motivated by the continual need to transform and improve our habits of action.