The present book is the first to undertake a systematic study of Peirce's conception of historical knowledge and of its value for philosophy. It does so by both reconstructing in detail Peirce's arguments and giving a detailed account of the many ways in which history becomes an object of explicit reflection in his writings. The book's leading idea may be stated as follows: Peirce manages to put together an exceptionally compelling argument about history's bearing on philosophy not so much because he derives it from a well-articulated and polished conception of the relation between the two disciplines; but on the contrary, because he holds on to this relation while intuiting that it can easily turn into a conflict. This potential conflict acts therefore as a spur to put forth an unusually profound and multi-faceted analysis of what it means for philosophy to rely on historical arguments. Peirce looks at history as a way to render philosophical investigations more detailed, more concrete and more sensitive to the infinite and unforeseeable nuances that characterize human experience. In this way, he provides us with an exceptionally valuable contribution to a question that has remained gravely under-theorized in contemporary debates.

The present book is the first to undertake a systematic study of Peirce's conception of historical knowledge and of its value for philosophy. It does so by both reconstructing in detail Peirce's arguments and giving a detailed account of the many ways in which history becomes an object of explicit reflection in his writings. The book's leading idea may be stated as follows: Peirce manages to put together an exceptionally compelling argument about history's bearing on philosophy not so much because he derives it from a well-articulated and polished conception of the relation between the two disciplines; but on the contrary, because he holds on to this relation while intuiting that it can easily turn into a conflict. This potential conflict acts therefore as a spur to put forth an unusually profound and multi-faceted analysis of what it means for philosophy to rely on historical arguments. Peirce looks at history as a way to render philosophical investigations more detailed, more concrete and more sensitive to the infinite and unforeseeable nuances that characterize human experience. In this way, he provides us with an exceptionally valuable contribution to a question that has remained gravely under-theorized in contemporary debates.

Correction to the text about C.S. Roero printed on the inside front cover page: Clara Silvia Roero began her research with Tullio Viola, full Professor of Analysis at Turin University. From 1987 to 2000 she was associate professor of Matematiche Complementari and of History of Mathematics at the University of Cagliari (1987-1990) and at the University of Turin (1990-2000). From 2000 she is full professor of History of Mathematics at Turin University, Faculty of Mathematical and Physical Sciences. She is currently President of the Italian Society of History of Mathematics (Società Italiana di Storia delle Matematiche). She is author of several articles and books on the history of mathematics from antiquity to 20th century, in particular on the history of the Leibnizian Calculus; and she is a member of the editorial board of the Bollettino di Storia delle Scienze Matematiche.

"I do not think I ever reflect in words: I employ visual diagrams ...]" Diese Selbstbeschreibung von Charles S. Peirce (1839-1914) bildet den Ausgangspunkt fur eine neue Sicht auf das Denken des amerikanischen Naturwissenschaftlers, Philosophen und Begrunders des Pragmatismus und der Semiotik. Peirce war ein obsessiver Zeichner. Neben einer graphischen Logik entwickelte er eine zeichnerische Praxis, die untrennbar mit seinem Denken verwoben war, in ihrer philosophischen Relevanz aber bislang ubersehen wurde. Der Band versammelt konkrete Fallstudien zu zahlreichen hier erstmals publizierten Zeichnungen von Peirce. Auf der Basis dieses Materials fragt er nach der allgemeinen Bedeutung dessen, was es heisst, in Bildern zu denken. Mit Beitragen von John Michael Krois, Helmut Pape, Sun-Joo Shin, Frederik Stjernfelt u.a."