This dissertation provides a critical and constructive interpretation of “A Neglected Argument for the Reality of God” [NA], the sole primarily theological essay written by the logician, scientist, and philosopher C. S. Peirce (1839-1914). Despite recent scholarly attention, NA has confused its readers from its publication in 1908 until today. This dissertation interprets NA in light of: (a) Peirce’s philosophy of science and his theory of signs (semeiotic); and (b) a close reading of the published essays and unpublished manuscripts Peirce composed during the decade before NA’s publication and the six years he lived post-publication. These primary materials suggest that the key to understanding the so-called humble argument at the heart of NA is Peirce’s conviction that the universe is a divine sign. The humble argument is a recommendation that one make musement, or the playful contemplation of the universe, a daily habit. Since Peirce believed that the universe is a divine sign, he predicted that anyone who mused for forty to fifty minutes daily would eventually come to believe in God’s reality. Peirce describes the humble argument as the innermost of three nested arguments, the latter two defending the reasonableness of the humble argument. The second argument, which Peirce accuses theologians of neglecting, appeals to the instinctiveness of the idea that God is real as evidence of the truth of that idea. As stated, that argument is flawed, but it can be reformulated as an empirical prediction that intelligent extraterrestrial lifeforms will tend to develop conceptions of God or Ultimate Reality. The third argument defends the reasonableness of the humble argument by construing the idea of God as arising, like scientific hypotheses, through abductive inference. Contra Peirce, this dissertation argues that, although analogous to certain abstractions that play important roles in science, the idea of God is not a valid scientific hypothesis because it entails no testable predictions. Given this lack of testable consequences, Peirce’s pragmatic defense of the meaningfulness of the idea of God is inconsistent with his pragmaticism, having more in common with William James’s individualistic interpretation of pragmatism, which Peirce had previously opposed.

Die vorliegende Dissertation „Ikonizität der Information“ befasst sich mit der ikonischen Dimension von Wissensorganisationssystemen (WOS) und dem epistemischen Potenzial von Bildlichkeit im Bereich des digitalen Kulturerbes. Dabei bezieht sich die Ikonizität der Information einmal auf eine implizite Dimension auf einer strukturellen Ebene sowie auf explizite Ausdrucksformen wie Visualisierungen, die Objekte und ihre Relationen topologisch darstellen. In einem interdisziplinären Ansatz, der sich unter anderem auf Bild-, Zeichen- und Medientheorie bezieht, werden sowohl aktuelle Visualisierungen als auch historische Entwicklungen in der Theorie und Modellierung von Wissensorganisationssystemen analysiert. Der Theorieteil, in dem die Konzepte Information, Zeichen und Ikonizität adressiert werden, stützt sich vor allem auf die universelle Zeichentheorie und das Konzept des diagrammatic reasoning von Charles Sanders Peirce und bildet die Basis für die Analyse. Die Vagheit und Mehrdeutigkeit oder simultane Pluralität visueller Ausdrucksformen bildet einen ikonischen Überschuss, welcher als maßgeblich für die Erkenntnisfunktion der Bildlichkeit identifiziert wird. Diese Forschung bietet einen theoretischen Rahmen für das Verständnis und die Konzeption von Visualisierungen und multimodalen WOS.

. Ce travail propose, en se basant sur un corpus issu de revues spécialisées en médecine tropicale et sur une série d'interviews de spécialistes du domaine, de comprendre le (ou les) rôle(s) des cartes, d'étudier son évolution au cours du temps ainsi que son impact dans la construction du fait scientifique. Cette étude s'est plus particulièrement appuyée sur la sémiotique peircienne qui a permis d'appréhender le sens des cartes, sur les écrits de Latour concernant la construction de la science ainsi que sur ceux de Robert concernant les technologies intellectuelles. Ces écrits ont donné lieu à la construction d'un système d'analyse de toute carte que notre corpus a alimenté. Outre l'impact réel des cartes publiées, impact constaté par une plus forte citation des articles les publiant, il a été mis en évidence que le(s) rôle(s) évolue(nt) au cours du temps. Au départ, toutes les cartes publiées avaient une fonction d'illustration et n'étaient pas nécessaires à la compréhension de l'article. Au fur et à mesure que les médecins adoptent les avancées de la cartographie, elles acquièrent de nouveaux rôles et deviennent des outils de recherche qui possèdent une autonomie scientifique. Inversement, nous observons des cartes qui perdent de leur « scientificité » au cours du temps. Si donc le rôle de la carte en médecine tropicale est dépendant à un moment donné des connaissances sémiologiques et médicales de son auteur et de son lecteur, il l'est aussi du temps qui, par l'évolution technique, scientifique et sociopolitique de l'environnement, modifie l'apport de ce support pour la recherche et pour la communication. / These objects can cover many different disciplines and appear in this study both politically and scientifically. This study intends to, by being based on a corpus of magazines specialised in tropical medicine and on a series of interviews of specialists in the area, understand the role of maps, studying their evolution in time and their impact on the construction of scientific fact. This study is primarily based on Peirce's semiotics allowing the comprehension of maps, on Latour's works about the construction of science and on Robert's studies into intellectual technologies. These papers led to the construction of an analytical system for all maps used by our corpus. Beyond the primary impact of published maps, which can be noticed through frequent quotations of the articles publishing them, it has been proved that its roles change over time. To start with, all the published maps had an illustrated purpose and were not required to understand the article. As doctors started adopting the progress in cartography, map stook on new roles and became research tools with their own scientific independance. Conversely, we observe that some maps loose their « scientificity » with time. In conclusion, if the role of maps in tropical medicine is dependant on the semiological and medical knowledge of the author and the reader, it is also dependant on the time, which by the technical, scientific and sociopolitical evolution of the environment, alters the use of this format for research and communication.

São estudados alguns aspectos das álgebras alternativas, como o bar-radical de uma álgebra bárica alternativa e as identidades de grau 4 e 5 nas álgebras de Cayley-Dickson. Neste estudo fazemos uso da decomposição de Peirce e de diversas propriedades importantes das álgebras alternativas. Concluímos mostrando que as únicas identidades de grau 4 são as triviais e as de grau 5 são conseqüência de outras duas identidades conhecidas / We studied some aspects of alternative algebras, in special the bar radical of an alternative baric algebra and identities of degree 4 and 5 of Cayley-Dickson algebras. We made significant use of the Peirce decomposition and several properties of the alternative algebras, in order to show that the only identities of degree four are the trivial ones, and the identities of degree five are consequences of other two known identities.

Notre travail interroge les différentes pratiques de création de Ghérasim Luca (livres-objets, albums, portfolios, plaquettes, poèmes-tracts et poèmes-affiches, récitals scéniques et télévisuels, cubomanies, dessins au point) à l’aune des expériences sémiotiques qu’elles engagent. Dire des signes qu’ils sont mis en jeu, c’est insister sur la dimension matérielle et éminemment sensible des mouvements de production et de réception. La question du sens est indissociable de celle du médium, dès lors que les signes se donnent à éprouver comme corps (corps sonores, corps graphiques ou typographiques) par des corps. La notion de surgissement permet de rendre compte de cette spatialité, qui a partie liée avec des phénomènes théâtraux, ceux d’apparition et de disparition : la page blanche, la bande sonore, l’écran, le panneau de bois peint, sont autant de lieux où peut s’inventer et se déployer une pensée incarnée. Quant à la notion d’opacification, employée en linguistique pour décrire certains phénomènes métadiscursifs, elle mérite d’être réévaluée et déplacée : nous nous efforçons de passer du domaine strictement verbal à un champ plus largement sémiotique.Notre parcours s’organise en quatre étapes solidaires, qui manifestent l’intrication des approches historiques, sémiotiques, linguistiques, médiologiques, stylistiques, mais aussi scientifiques et philosophiques. La première partie consiste en une exploration des créations plastiques, graphiques, sonores, qui intègre les diverses collaborations auxquelles Ghérasim Luca a pris part en Roumanie puis en France. La deuxième partie dégage un imaginaire linguistique, nourri de diverses traditions (l’atomisme de Lucrèce, l’alchimie, la Kabbale), qui fait du vide un principe structurant, et de l’écriture un travail d’agencement. Cet imaginaire, qui relève d’une pensée de la langue dans la langue, est lui-même volontiers mis à distance : il ne s’agit pas d’adhérer à ce qui serait une théorie, mais de circuler librement entre des conceptions apparemment inconciliables. La troisième partie décrit les jeux de perturbation du sens à partir du statut tout à fait singulier accordé aux autonymes, aux néologismes et aux noms propres dans les recueils de la période française : les divers types de trouble sémiotique et l’invention d’un hors-lexique participent d’un mouvement de déstabilisation. La quatrième et dernière partie est consacrée au geste de reprise, qui se décline sous de multiples formes, parmi lesquelles on compte le collage et le détournement. / This work questions the different practices of Ghérasim Luca (book-objects, albums, portfolios, booklets, pamphlet-poems, poster-poems, scenic and audiovisual recitals, cubomanies, drawings) in light of the semiotic experiences they initiate. Asserting that signs are at stake means insisting on the material and highly perceptible dimension of both production and reception. From the moment that signs are perceived as bodies (audible bodies, graphic and typographic bodies) by other bodies, the question of meaning is linked to the question of medium. With the notion of emergence, we can analyse spatial phenomena, linked to theatrical ones, such as appearance and disappearance : the white page, the audiotape, the screen, the wooden panels are places where an embodied thinking can arise and expand. The notion of opacification, which is used by linguists to describe metadiscursive phenomena, can be reconsidered and redefined : we try to exceed the verbal domain and to adopt a global semiotic perspective, which includes non-verbal matters.This study is composed of four interdependent parts, which show the interpenetration of historical, semiotic, linguistic, mediologic, stylistic but also scientific and philosophical approaches. The first part explores the plastic, graphic and audio creations of Ghérasim Luca, including collaborations with several artists in Romania and France. The second part identifies what we could call a linguistic imaginary, fuelled by three different traditions (Lucretius’ atomism, alchemy, Kabbalah), which considers void as a founding principle, and writing as a layout. This imaginary, which inquires the possibility of thinking about language within the language, is playfully held at a distance by Ghérasim Luca : the point is not to adopt a theory, but to circulate freely between apparently incompatible approaches. The third part describes various phenomena of meaning disruption and focuses on the specific status given to autonyms, neologisms and proper nouns in his French period : the different kinds of semiotic troubles and the invention of a lexicon beyond the lexicon take part in the destabilisation process. The fourth part is about the activity of re-creation, which takes several forms, including collage and ‘détournement’.

São estudados alguns aspectos das álgebras alternativas, como o bar-radical de uma álgebra bárica alternativa e as identidades de grau 4 e 5 nas álgebras de Cayley-Dickson. Neste estudo fazemos uso da decomposição de Peirce e de diversas propriedades importantes das álgebras alternativas. Concluímos mostrando que as únicas identidades de grau 4 são as triviais e as de grau 5 são conseqüência de outras duas identidades conhecidas / We studied some aspects of alternative algebras, in special the bar radical of an alternative baric algebra and identities of degree 4 and 5 of Cayley-Dickson algebras. We made significant use of the Peirce decomposition and several properties of the alternative algebras, in order to show that the only identities of degree four are the trivial ones, and the identities of degree five are consequences of other two known identities.

[pt] Esta dissertação visa mostrar que a construção de alguns mapas, chamados mapas conformes, pode ser expressa por funções complexas e essa relação será mostrada ao longo do texto. Inicialmente são apresentadas as coordenadas esféricas utilizadas por geógrafos e matemáticos e a construção de um mapeamento da esfera terrestre no plano, projeção estereográfica. Nas seções seguintes, são apresentadas: definições e propriedades das funções complexas com ênfase em suas interpretações geométricas; alguns mapas gerados pelas funções exponencial, logarítmica e trigonométricas complexas; a relação entre função exponencial e o Mapa de Mercator; algumas características de uma função elíptica; a relação entre uma função elíptica e o Mapa Pierce Quincuncial. / [en] This master thesis aims to show that the construction of some maps, called conformal maps, can be expressed by complex functions and this relation will be shown through the text. First it will be presented the spherical coordinates used for geographers and mathematicians, and the construction of a mapping of the terrestrial sphere in the plane, stereographic projection. In the following sections, they are presented: Definitions and properties of complex functions with emphasis on their geometric interpretations; Some maps generated by the exponential, logarithmic and complex trigonometric functions; The relationship between exponential function and the Mercator Map; Some characteristics of an elliptical function; The relationship between an elliptical function and the Quincuncial Pierce Map.

No description available.

Thesis (MScEng (Process Engineering))--University of Stellenbosch, 2011. / Please refer to full text to view abstract.

Thesis (MScEng)--Stellenbosch University, 2011. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: In a first stage atmospheric leach at the Lonmin Marikana base metals refinery, nickel-copper-iron-sulphur Peirce Smith converter matte is leached in recycled electrolyte from the electrowinning section. The electrolyte contains sulphuric acid, copper and nickel sulphates, and a small amount of iron sulphate. The converter matte contains mostly nickel, copper and sulphur (typically 48 %, 28 % and 23 %, respectively), but also minor amounts (<5 %) iron and cobalt. The matte also contains platinum group elements (PGEs) and other precious metals totalling 0.2 – 0.7 % (platinum, palladium, iridium, rhodium, ruthenium, osmium and some gold). The predominant mineral phases are heazlewoodite, chalcocite and a nickel-copper alloy phase, as well as some entrained slag and spinel minerals. The purpose of the first stage leach is to extract nickel, while simultaneously precipitating copper and PGEs contained in the recycled electrolyte. Nickel, cobalt and iron are leached by acid and oxygen. Copper is precipitated by a redox reaction in which copper ions oxidise nickel from the matte. The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of key variables on the performance of the first stage leach (specifically on the removal of PGEs and copper from solution and the overall extraction of nickel) and to improve fundamental understanding of these effects. Batch leaching tests were carried out to investigate the effects of the following factors: availability of oxygen, initial acid concentration, initial copper concentration, iron endpoint (iron content of the matte), solids/liquid ratio and stirring rate. Liquid samples were analysed with Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy (AA) to determine leaching kinetics. Characterisation of solid samples from leach tests by quantitative X-Ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy with an energy dispersive system (SEM-EDS) helped to improve understanding of the leaching mechanism. The oxidative leaching mechanism entails an initial period in which the alloy phase is leached by acid and oxygen, while copper reacts with the nickel-copper-alloy and heazlewoodite phases (which react galvanically with each other) to form a chalcocite precipitate. In a second reaction period, heazlewoodite was transformed to millerite by acid leaching and the particle structure became more porous. The rate of copper precipitation and nickel extraction were faster during the second reaction period than the first reaction period. Some copper leaching occurred once the leachable nickel (60 – 70 %) had been dissolved, provided that the solution was strongly acidic (pH < 2). The non-oxidative leaching mechanism entails a galvanic interaction, between the nickel-copper-alloy and heazlewoodite phases, in which nickel is leached from both phases and copper is precipitated as chalcocite. Leaching by acid was negligible in most non-oxidative tests. An initial fast period of copper precipitation was followed by a second slower period. The decrease in reaction rate can probably be linked to the decreasing availability of the nickel-copper-alloy phase. During non-oxidative leaching, the particle structure remained mostly intact. Copper precipitation kinetics under non-oxidative conditions was found to be slower than under oxidative conditions. The faster copper precipitation kinetics under oxidative conditions is most likely caused by an increase in porosity and reaction area as nickel is leached from the matte by acid and oxygen. The initial acid concentration, solids/liquid ratio and Fe-endpoint were the most important factors determining reaction kinetics under oxidative conditions. Low initial acid concentrations (37 g/L) and a high solids/liquid ratio improved the extent of copper precipitation. Nickel extraction was enhanced by low solids/liquid ratios and high initial acid concentrations (74 g/L). Nickel extraction was significantly less (56 % less in one instance) when leaching high iron mattes (5.7 % Fe) rather than low iron mattes (< 1 % Fe). Copper precipitation was initially faster when leaching a high iron matte, but slower nickel leaching from high iron mattes led to an excess of available acid, which resulted in copper being leached. The results suggest that high iron mattes will lead to poor copper and PGE precipitation in the first stage leach and also to lower nickel extractions. Consequently, Peirce Smith converting at the plant must be carefully controlled to avoid high iron mattes. Under non-oxidative conditions, the solids/liquid ratio and Fe-endpoint were the most important factors. The rate of copper precipitation was faster when a high iron matte was leached, so that a higher percentage copper was precipitated and more nickel was extracted from the matte. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: As ‘n eerste stap in die Lonmin Marikana basis-metale veredelingsaanleg word nikkel-koper-yster-swawel Peirce-Smith-converter-mat geloog in elektroliet wat hersirkuleer word vanaf die aanleg se koper-elektroplaterings-afdeling. Die loging word by atmosferiese druk uitgevoer. Die elektroliet bevat swawelsuur, koper- en nikkel-sulfate en ‘n klein hoeveelheid ystersulfaat. Die mat bevat hoofsaaklik nikkel, koper en swawel (tipies 48 %, 28 % en 23 %), maar ook klein hoeveelhede (< 5 %) yster en kobalt. Verder maak Platinum Groep Elemente (PGE’s) en ander waardevolle metale (platinum, palladium, iridium, rhodium, ruthenium, osmium en goud) 0.2 % tot 0.7 % van die massa van die mat uit. In terme van minerale bestaan die materiaal hoofsaaklik uit heazlewoodite, chalcocite en ‘n nikkel-koper allooi fase, asook slak en spinel minerale, wat tydens Peirce-Smith-converting weens meesleuring in die mat rapporteer. Die doel van die eerste stadium loog is om nikkel op te los, terwyl koper en PGE’s wat in die elektroliet voorkom presipiteer moet word. Nikkel, kobalt en koper word geloog in reaksies met suurstof en swawelsuur. Koper word presipiteer deur middel van ‘n redoks reaksie waarin koper-ione nikkel in die mat oksideer. Die doel van hierdie studie was om die effekte van sleutelveranderlikes op die proses te bepaal (spesifiek hoe nikkel-loging en koper presipitasie affekteer word) en om fundamentele begrip van die veranderlikes en hul effekte te verkry. Lot loogtoetse is uitgevoer op ‘n laboratorium-skaal en die effekte van die volgende faktore is ondersoek: beskibaarheid van suurstof, begin suurkonsentrasie, yster eindpunt (die ysterinhoud van die mat), vastestof/vloeistof verhouding en die roertempo. Vloeistof monsters geneem tydens loogtoetse is geanaliseer met behulp van Atoom Absorpsie Spektroskopie (AA) om kinetika te bepaal. Vastestof monsters is ook geneem tydens loogtoetse en kwantitatiewe X-straal diffraksie (XRD), asook skanderings-elektron-mikroskopie met ‘n energie dispersie sisteem (SEM-EDS) is gebruik om die materiaal te karakteriseer en die logingsmeganisme te verduidelik. Die oksidatiewe logingsmeganisme behels ‘n aanvanklike periode waartydens die allooi fase geloog word deur suur en suurstof, terwyl koper presipiteer om chalcocite te vorm as gevolg van ‘n reaksie waarin galvanise interaksie tussen die nikkel-koperallooi en heazlewoodite fases ‘n belangrike rol speel. In ‘n tweede reaksie periode is heazlewoodite geloog deur suur om millerite te vorm. Tydens hierdie tweede fase het die partikel struktuur meer porieus geword. Die tempo van koper presipitasie en nikkel loging was vinniger tydens die tweede reaksie periode as tydens die eerste. Koper is geloog indien die oplossing baie suur was (pH < 2) en die loogbare nikkel (60 – 70 %) reeds opgelos het. Die nie-oksidatiewe logingsmeganisme behels galvaniese interaksie tussen die nikkel-koper-allooi en heazlewoodite fases, wat lei tot koper presipitasie as chalcocite. Loging deur swawelsuur was onbeduidend. ‘n Aanvanklike vinnige periode van koper presipitasie tydens nie-oksidatiewe toetse is gevolg deur ‘n tweede stadiger periode. Die afname in reaksietempo kan waarskynlik verklaar word deur die afnemende beskikbaarheid van die nikkel-koper-allooi fase. Tydens nieoksidatiewe loging het die partikel struktuur redelik onveranderd gebly. Koper presipitasie kinetika in nie-oksidatiewe toetse was stadiger as in oksidatiewe toetse. Die belangrikste faktore wat kinetika in oksidatiewe toetse beïnvloed het was die suurkonsentrasie, vastestof/vloeistof verhouding en die yster-eindpunt. Lae beginsuurkonsentrasies (37 g/L) en ‘n hoë vastestof/vloeistof verhouding het gelei daartoe dat meer koper uit die elektroliet herwin is. Nikkel ekstraksie was hoër indien die vastestof/vloeistof verhouding laag was en die begin suurkonsentrasie hoog (74 g/L). Nikkel ekstraksie was beduidend laer (56 % laer in een geval) wanneer hoë-yster mat (5.7 % Fe) geloog is, eerder as lae yster mat (< 1 % Fe). Wanneer ‘n hoë yster mat geloog is, was koper presipitasie aanvanklik vinniger, maar weens stadige nikkel-ekstraksie-tempos was ‘n oormaat van suur beskikbaar sodat koper uiteindelik geloog is. PGE presipitasie is ook nadelig beïnvloed wanneer koper geloog is en veral tydens toetse met hoë yster mat. Die mees belangrike faktore wat nie-oksidatiewe loging beïnvloed het was die vastestof/vloeistof verhouding en die yster-eindpunt. Die tempo van koper presipitasie was vinniger in toetse met ‘n hoë yster mat, sodat ‘n hoër persentasie koper presipiteer het en meer nikkel opgelos het wanneer ‘n hoë yster mat geloog is.