Edwina, I strongly agree with that point: ET> Helmut - your own experiences in 'the real world' are what you should be trying to understand - semiosically. Abstract theories are useless, unless they can be applied to something useful. Chess and Go, for example, are mathematical theories whose only purposes are (1) mental training in methods of analysis and planning, and (2) the challenge of competing with other people who have similar training. But Chess and Go have no practical applications beyond the disciplined training they provide. Peirce would not belittle that training. But he designed his logic and semeiotic as tools for solving and resolving major problems and issues of science and society. In order to understand the value of Peirce's work, it's essential to do what he did: apply his theories to practical problems. John
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