On interpretative activity : : a Peircian approach to the interpretation of science, technology, and the arts / / by Noel E. Boulting.

• Superior document: Philosophy of history and culture, v. 24
• Author: Boulting, Noel.
• Year of Publication: 2006
• Edition: 1st ed.
• Language: English
• Series: Philosophy of history and culture ; v. 24.
• Physical Description: 1 online resource (192 p.)
• Notes: Bibliographic Level Mode of Issuance: Monograph

Using the ideas of the American scientist and philosopher Charles Sanders Peirce, three conceptions of interpretation can be distinguished: the Iconic, the Indexical and the Intellective. This trichotomy is based on Peirce's use of his sign theory and his logic of scientific discovery. The Iconic captures what is valuable in itself for an individual interpreter as opposed to the Indexical which is available for public appreciation as an outcome beyond Interpretative activities. The Intellective extends the Iconic to include the interpretative activities of groups of interpreters employing appropriate methods of inquiry in a more rigorous and rational way. Such distinctions can be used in confronting certain problems in science, technology and the arts.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements -- Introduction -- 1. On Using the Term 'Science' -- 2. Making Sense of Science and Technology -- 3. The Status of Works of Art -- 4. Art in Society -- 5. Within the Interpretative Process -- 6. The Problem of Reification -- Appendix: Objections to the Iconic Conception of Artworks -- Bibliography -- Index.