Sold by Athena Rare Books ABAA, Fairfield, CT, U.S.A.
Association Member:
AbeBooks Seller since January 24, 2003
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Memoirs of the American Academy, Vol. IX. TP + 1-62 + blank rear cover, Quarto, 9½" x 11¾", First Edition Offprint (Ketner P00052).The Rare Original Offprint of Description of a Notation for the Logic of Relatives.NOTE: Description of the Notation for the Logic of Relatives lacks the "Logic of Relatives" front cover (identical in type and appearance to the cover of Brief Description of the Algebra of Relatives - an item offered here separately) and has an unfortunate 1¼" x 6" cutout at the bottom of page 1 effecting the text on both pages 1 & 2. This deletion has been professional blended back into the text using a matching facsimile. The excision was made on page 2, neatly removing Peirce's footnote in which he introduces his important 'copula symbol' (-<) which he wrote was meant "to declare that the object of the term written before it is included under the object of the term written after it." For Peirce, reasoning is primarily and in its most elementary sense, reasoning about relations. This paper - and two other separately offered here - were ground-breaking papers contain important elements in his ongoing formulation of the foundational principles of modern logic in terms of those relations or, as he usually phrased it, their "relatives."Charles Sanders Peirce was the first American to take up the challenge of George Boole's program to find the mathematical laws of logic - a program that resulted in the formulation of today's modern logic. Peirce made numerous major contributions to this development between 1866 and 1914, but it was his technical papers written between 1867 and 1885 that established him as the greatest formal logician in the world and the most influential thinker to appear after Boole and before Ernst Schroeder. Peirce's papers can be notoriously difficult, but once Schroeder explicated them, they became well-known and widely influential in the field. DeMorgan, working on these same Boolean problems, founded the "algebra of relations" in an 1859 paper, but Peirce took his work and extended it much farther - while simultaneously expanding it into a powerful philosophical tool - beginning with this first 1870 paper: Description of a Notation for the Logic of Relatives. The paper radically modified, extended, and transformed Boolean algebra, making it applicable to propositions, relations, probability, and arithmetic. In this paper, Peirce laid the foundations of the logic of relations, the key technique for the logical analysis of mathematics, and invented the copula symbol of inclusion, the most important symbol in the logic of classes. Peirce, who was not known to be humble about himself or his work, commented in 1903: "In 1870, I made a contribution to this subject [logic] which nobody who masters the subject can deny was the most important excepting Boole's original work that ever has been made." (Peirce, Collected Papers, Volume III, p. 27; The Lowell Lectures of 1903.) Gathered and tied with original string utilizing three neat holes the center of the left edge. With just a bit of staining to the front cover (just below the bottom string hole) and in the upper right corner throughout, but getting lighter as the pages progress. With the excision described above professionally corrected with a matching facsimile text. Other than the unfortunate excision, this is remarkably well-preserved and handsome copy of this extremely rare piece by Charles Sanders Peirce. ADDITIONAL PHOTOS AVAILABLE UPON REQUEST.
Seller Inventory # 1533
All items are offered subject to prior sale. All items are guaranteed as described. We are willing to hold items for seven days. Items for any reason unsatisfactory may be returned within ten days of receipt, with prior notice. Any returns must be well packaged and sent in a traceable manner. Additional insurance is not required for a return shipment. We accept checks (in U.S. currency) and wire transfers. Connecticut residents please add appropriate sales tax. Payment in advance is required for...
Shipping costs are based on books weighing 2.2 LB, or 1 KG. If your book order is heavy or oversized, we may contact you to let you know extra shipping is required.
| Order quantity | 5 to 14 business days | 3 to 6 business days |
|---|---|---|
| First item | US$ 10.00 | US$ 15.00 |
Delivery times are set by sellers and vary by carrier and location. Orders passing through Customs may face delays and buyers are responsible for any associated duties or fees. Sellers may contact you regarding additional charges to cover any increased costs to ship your items.
