[Inquiry] Re: Information = Comprehension x Extension

[Jon Awbrey]

o~~~~~~~~~o~~~~~~~~~o~~~~~~~~~o~~~~~~~~~o~~~~~~~~~o

ICE.  Note 15

o~~~~~~~~~o~~~~~~~~~o~~~~~~~~~o~~~~~~~~~o~~~~~~~~~o

| In like manner, it is impossible to find any simple term.
| This is obvious from this consideration.  If there is
| any simple term, simple terms are innumerable for in
| that case all attributes which are not simple are
| made up of simple attributes.  Now none of these
| attributes can be affirmed or denied universally
| of whatever has any one.  For let 'A' be one
| simple term and 'B' be another.  Now suppose
| we can say All 'A' is 'B';  then 'B' is
| contained in 'A'.  If, therefore, 'A'
| contains anything but 'B' it is
| a compound term, but 'A' is
| different from 'B', and is
| simple;  hence it cannot
| be that All 'A' is 'B'.
| Suppose No 'A' is 'B', then
| not-'B' is contained in 'A';
| if therefore 'A' contains anything
| besides not-'B' it is not a simple term;
| but if it is the same as not-'B', it is not a
| simple term but is a term relative to 'B'.  Now it is a
| simple term and therefore Some 'A' is 'B'.  Hence if we take
| any two simple terms and call one 'A' and the other 'B' we have
|
|       Some 'A' is 'B'
|
| and   Some 'A' is not 'B'
|
| or in other words the universe will contain every possible kind of thing
| afforded by the permutation of simple qualities.  Now the universe does not
| contain all these things;  it contains no 'well-known green horse'.  Hence the
| consequence of supposing a simple term to exist is an error of fact.  There
| are several other ways of showing this besides the one that I have adopted.
| They all concur to show that whatever has extension must be composite.
|
| C.S. Peirce, 'Chronological Edition', CE 1, 461.
|
| Charles Sanders Peirce,
|"The Logic of Science, or, Induction and Hypothesis",
| Lowell Institute Lectures of 1866, pages 357-504 in:
|
|'Writings of Charles S. Peirce:  A Chronological Edition',
|'Volume 1, 1857-1866', Peirce Edition Project,
| Indiana University Press, Bloomington, IN, 1982.

o~~~~~~~~~o~~~~~~~~~o~~~~~~~~~o~~~~~~~~~o~~~~~~~~~o
inquiry e-lab: http://stderr.org/pipermail/inquiry/
o~~~~~~~~~o~~~~~~~~~o~~~~~~~~~o~~~~~~~~~o~~~~~~~~~o