Realism and Individualism

“I knew Mateusz Oleksy and I was deeply impressed by his powerful mind, his philosophical ability and his open heart. The untimely death of a so vibrant young scholar makes completely on time the publication of this book for a better understanding of the thought of Charles S. Peirce (1839-1914). This book is a milestone in the centennial of Peirce's death that we are commemorating in 2014.”

“This is a truly outstanding work on Peirce’s lifelong crusade against modern nominalism and the individualism it spurred. Mateusz Oleksy does a superb job detailing Peirce’s reading of the schoolmen — especially Scotus and Ockham — and of the advent of nominalism in the modern era, which is also the age of science. Oleksy concludes with an excellent discussion of Peirce’s anti-individualism and what he terms Peirce’s pragmatic realism. Likely to stir controversy this book is a must read for anyone who has an interest in Peirce, the nominalist-realist debate, or the future of science.”

“It is a work written with ease — brilliant and penetrating at the same time — relying on thorough knowledge of the subject. The author has a gift of concise presentation of the essentials, which he later develops in detailed and meticulously researched analyses. This makes the book attractive not only for a philosopher but also for a semiotician.”

“Oleksy’s fine book is an account of Peirce’s resistance to modern nominalism – or ‘individualism’, as Oleksy calls it – and how it informed many of the most important aspects of Peirce’s theorizing. Contrary to what most scholars have so far claimed, Oleksy argues that Peirce’s realism was not uniform throughout his career, but evolved significantly, coming to incorporate many features of his later pragmatism.”