Reviving the iconicity of beta graphs

摘要

By devising a new reading method for Peirce's Existential Graphs (EG), this paper moves away from the traditional method of evaluating diagrammatic systems against the criteria appropriate to symbolic systems. As is well-known, symbolic systems have long been preferred to diagrammatic systems and the distinction between the two types of systems has not been well defined. This state of affairs has resulted in a vicious circle: because the unique strengths of visual systems have not been discovered, diagrammatic systems have been criticized for lacking the properties of a symbolic system, which, in turn, reinforces the existing prejudice against non-symbolic systems. Peirce's EG is a classic example of this vicious circle. Logicians commonly complain that EG is too complicated to put to actual use. This paper locates a main source of this criticism in the traditional reading methods of EG, none of which fully exploits the visual features of the system. By taking full advantage of the iconicity of EG, I present a much more transparent and useful reading of the Beta graphs. I pursue this project by (i) uncovering important visual features of EG, and (ii) implementing Peirce's original intuitions for the system.