All, I am not yet a Peirce scholar, but I do know a bit about Web technology and its social capabilities. I agree that it is particularly important to preserve Peirces work in a way that makes it accessible to a wide range of scholars and interested parties.
Two avenues for doing this suggest themselves. 1. Contact the Internet Archive - they are particularly interested in preservation and have mobile technology (and I seem to recall reading something about an established facility in the Harvard Library). It may take some work to identify who to contact, however I suggest starting with http://www.archive.org/about/about.php. 2. The other possibility is to take advantage of Google's Library Project - http://books.google.com/googleprint/library.html. This is also set up in the Harvard Library. If you can convince either of these organizations in the value of preserving Peirce's body of work, they would be powerful allies in locating the necessary funding. I hope the idea is helpful. Bill William P. (Bill) Hall, PhD Documentation & KM Systems Analyst Head Office/Engineering Nelson House Annex, Nelson Place Williamstown, Vic. 3016 Australia Tel: +61 3 9244 4820 Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] URL: http://www.tenix.com Evolutionary Biology of Species and Organizations URL: http://www.orgs-evolution-knowledge.net/ Visiting Faculty Associate University of Technology Sydney Senior Fellow Australian Centre for Science, Innovation and Society History and Philosophy of Science University of Melbourne email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] URL: http://www.acsis.unimelb.edu.au/ ------------------------------- [The] skyhook-skyscraper construction of science from the roof down to the yet unconstructed foundations [is] possible because the behavior of the system at each level [depends] on only a very approximate, simplified, abstracted characterization of the system at the level next beneath. H. Simon 1996 - The Science of the Artificial ----- Original Message ----- From: "Steven Ericsson Zenith" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: "Peirce Discussion Forum" <peirce-l@lyris.ttu.edu> Sent: Sunday, June 18, 2006 9:14 AM Subject: [peirce-l] Re: 1st image of triangle of boxes (MS799.2) > I do not doubt the merit of the exercise - only the suggested source of > funds. Individual scholars on well understood "tracks" can get funding > from a variety of sources - or so I am led to believe. Project funding > for something like this probably needs to come from within an > institution that understands the merit. > > With respect, > Steven > > > > > Drs.W.T.M. Berendsen wrote: > > Well I am pretty sure that a better understanding of Peirce can and will > > lead to raising the standards of public education. It already has in some > > aspects of education. Think it would not be hard to make some convincing > > discourse about importance of Peirce's discourses for past and current and > > future society. > > > > Like I stated in previous mail, even if Bill Gates Foundation is not willing > > to help, there will probably be other sources. But, like I said, it would > > first be needed in my opinion to at least have real figures about costs for > > digitalization. Then some good preparation about what to say and how to say > > so (some good rhetoric) to get the money. And this is not about some > > arbitrary scholarly endeavors it is about very relevant philosophical > > material that will help lots of intellectuals to improve society and also > > education. > > > > I myself will also concentrate a lot on getting my PhD finished as soon as > > possible. And mention the relevance of CS Peirce's thoughts in it. This does > > not appear to be that helpful, but I just guess it will because of the huge > > relevance and impact of my findings. But well, we'll see ;-). > > > > Kind regards, > > > > Wilfred > > > > -----Oorspronkelijk bericht----- > > Van: Steven Ericsson Zenith [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] > > Verzonden: zaterdag 17 juni 2006 23:36 > > Aan: Peirce Discussion Forum > > Onderwerp: [peirce-l] Re: 1st image of triangle of boxes (MS799.2) > > > > My understanding is that this would not be a project within the bounds > > of those that interest the Gates Foundation. The focus there is on > > raising the standards of public education - not arbitrary scholarly > > endeavors. > > > > With respect, > > > > Steven > > > > Joseph Ransdell wrote: > > > >> Wilfred says:: > >> > >> "I think we should ask the Bill Gates foundation for this! > >> And also just mention the importance of this to be done wherever we can. > >> Regarding the bill gates foundation, maybe he should first know then where > >> the electronic switch idea originates from. But I guess we could give it a > >> try, preferably with lots of names and tittles and so on to make things > >> happen." > >> > >> That's an idea worth investigating, Wilfred, particularly in view of the > >> fact that Bill Gates is presently retiring from active control of > >> > > Microsoft > > > >> and devoting himself exclusively to his and his wife's philanthropical > >> concerns -- then, too, he was a student at Harvard -- and I will see to it > >> > > > > > >> that it is investigated. Foundations usually have an initial filtering > >> system that can be checked out for possible entry into an inner sanctum > >> where you might be permitted to make your case for support. It seems to > >> > > be > > > >> more the exception than the rule for them to leave it open enough for much > >> > > > > > >> in the way of purely scholarly projects to be capable of slipping through > >> > > at > > > >> this time, but there are ways of construing the interest which this > >> particular project might have that might find some possibilities there. > >> I'll see what I can find out about the prospects and let you know what I > >> find out soon. > >> > >> Joe Ransdell > >> > >> > >> ----- Original Message ----- > >> From: "Drs.W.T.M. Berendsen" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > >> To: "Peirce Discussion Forum" <peirce-l@lyris.ttu.edu> > >> Sent: Saturday, June 17, 2006 2:50 PM > >> Subject: [peirce-l] Re: 1st image of triangle of boxes (MS799.2) > >> > >> > >> I think we should ask the Bill Gates foundation for this! > >> And also just mention the importance of this to be done wherever we can. > >> Regarding the bill gates foundation, maybe he should first know then where > >> the electronic switch idea originates from. But I guess we could give it a > >> try, preferably with lots of names and tittles and so on to make things > >> happen. > >> > >> Kind regards, > >> > >> Wilfred > >> > >> -----Oorspronkelijk bericht----- > >> Van: Joseph Ransdell [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] > >> Verzonden: zaterdag 17 juni 2006 21:33 > >> Aan: Peirce Discussion Forum > >> Onderwerp: [peirce-l] Re: 1st image of triangle of boxes (MS799.2) > >> > >> Wilfred and the list: > >> > >> The MS pages reproduced here are from photocopies of photocopies of the > >> manuscripts which constitute Peirce's Nachlass ("literary remains") > >> > > insofar > > > >> as Harvard has possession of them. They are located in the Harvard > >> > > Library, > > > >> not in the Philosophy Department, and there are 80,000 or more pages of > >> them, still largely unpublished. (There are several tens of thousands of > >> pages more than that elsewhere, by the say, but the bulk of the > >> philosophical stuff is largely in the Harvard collections. Since a lot of > >> the manuscripts have been rotting away for years, the librarians aren't > >> eager for people to poke around in them and there has to be some special > >> > > and > > > >> persuasive reason to get permission to do so at this time. > >> > >> They ought, of course, to be digitized with high res color cameras and > >> special lighting that minimizes the effects of the scanning on them and > >> plans are supposedly in the offing to do that -- along with a vast > >> > > quantity > > > >> of other holdings there in the library which they want to digitize. We > >> > > may > > > >> all be dead before they get around to it -- unless, of course, some > >> benevolent patron with a spare million dollars or so does what he or she > >> ought to be doing with his or her money; but you don't find a whole lot of > >> them around these days who don't already have other things they want to > >> support. Know anyone smart enough, wealthy enough, and moral enough to > >> understand the value of doing this sort of thing for Peirce? If so let me > >> know and I can assure you it will be done. Ask the U.S. government for > >> > > it? > > > >> Sorry, but what with the need for the manufacture and development of ever > >> more fearsome weapons of mass destruction, for the financing of covert > >> armies, and for the destruction of foreign governments in the interest of > >> spreading freedom and religious salvation to the grateful survivors, > >> American taxpayers -- or at least their supposed representatives -- > >> > > aren't > > > >> much inclined to support such frivolous enterprises as this at this time. > >> > >> But speaking less facetiously, the digitization of the MS material so that > >> the originals can be retired from use and the digitized material made > >> generally available is an enormous task, far more difficult than one might > >> at first suppose. One complication that has to be taken into account > >> > > stems > > > >> from the fact that the people who were supposed to take good care of his > >> work after Peirce's death in 1914 -- the people in the philosophy > >> > > department > > > >> at Harvard -- savaged it dreadfully over the course of the many decades > >> > > when > > > >> they were its "stewards", leaving it in appalling disorder by the time it > >> was finally rescued from them several decades after his death. > >> Consequently, a major part of the problem in making that material > >> > > generally > > > >> available lies in the fact that it is still badly disordered even now, > >> > > after > > > >> several more decades of attempts to sort it out with use of the > >> > > photocopies. > > > >> This is highly labor-intensive intellectual work. There are plans afoot > >> > > for > > > >> doing all of these and other things as well, but it requires money even > >> > > to > > > >> get a start on doing all of this. > >> > >> As I said, let us know if you know where to get it. > >> > >> Joe Ransdell > >> > >> > >> > >> > >> > >> > >> ----- Original Message ----- > >> From: "Drs.W.T.M. Berendsen" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > >> To: "Peirce Discussion Forum" <peirce-l@lyris.ttu.edu> > >> Sent: Saturday, June 17, 2006 1:14 PM > >> Subject: [peirce-l] Re: 1st image of triangle of boxes (MS799.2) > >> > >> > >> Ok..so...are these actual original notes of Peirce to be found at Harvard? > >> And can they be reviewed by scholars? If so I would be interested to go > >> there maybe some time and review it. Better to have seen it first hand. > >> Peirce is getting my attention more and more :-) > >> > >> Is there actually some good overview of where to find what materials as > >> original as possible notes and so on from Charles Sander Peirce? And any > >> money available from institutions for thorough research? > >> > >> Wilfred > >> > >> -----Oorspronkelijk bericht----- > >> Van: Benjamin Udell [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] > >> Verzonden: zaterdag 17 juni 2006 20:02 > >> Aan: Peirce Discussion Forum > >> Onderwerp: [peirce-l] Re: 1st image of triangle of boxes (MS799.2) > >> > >> Image came through beautifully! > >> > >> Look carefully at the MS799.2 triangle of boxes and you can that the > >> > > numbers > > > >> are change from an earlier set of numbers. I originally thought that the > >> little earlier numeral "8" was an extra numeral "3" > >> > >> CURRENT: > >> > >> 1 ~ 5 ~ 8 ~ 10 > >> ~ 2 ~ 6 ~ 9 > >> ~~ 3 ~ 7 > >> ~~~ 4 > >> > >> EARLIER: > >> > >> 1 ~ 2 ~ 3 ~ 4 > >> ~ 5 ~ 6 ~ 7 > >> ~~ 8 ~ 9 > >> ~~~ 10 > >> > >> Best, Ben > >> > >> > >> --- > >> Message from peirce-l forum to subscriber [EMAIL PROTECTED] > >> > >> > >> > >> > > > > --- > > Message from peirce-l forum to subscriber [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > > > > > > > --- > Message from peirce-l forum to subscriber [EMAIL PROTECTED] > --- Message from peirce-l forum to subscriber archive@mail-archive.com