Abstract
This paper explores Peirce's method of semiotic exemplification by a careful examination of his thinking about the relationship between interpretation and replication, the subdivision of signs into genuine and degenerate classes, and the role of logically necessary systems of representation in guiding the growth of scientific knowledge. Examples of Peirce's forays into topics usually treated within the social sciences and humanities demonstrate both the imperialism and the delimitation of his semiotic method.
About the author
Richard J. Parmentier (b. 1948) is a professor at Brandeis University 〈rparmentier@brandeis.edu〉. His research interests include semiotic anthropology, linguistic anthropology, and Oceanic ethnography. His publications include Semiotic mediation: Sociocultural and psychological perspectives (edited with E. Mertz, 1985); Signs in society: Studies in semiotic anthropology (1994); and The pragmatic semiotics of cultures (1997).
©2014 by Walter de Gruyter Berlin/Munich/Boston
