The opening event of the Institute for the Study of American Philosophy and Semiotics was held on 01.31.2025 in Darmstadt, hosted by the Institute für Philosophie at TU Darmstadt. The department of philosophy is seated in the Residenzschloss, a beautiful German castle situated in the historical center of the old town. The imposing building, housing the vast library of the university and the Schlossmuseum was a fitting place for the workshop, uniting researchers from several European countries on the topic of Peirce and the Arts and the legacy of pragmatism in the development of contemporary philosophy. The event was opened with a welcoming speech by Professor Alfred Nordmann, introducing the guests to the multilayered philosophical legacy of Peirce and the rich history and important cultural heritage of the free city of Darmstadt. This was followed by a presentation of the newly founded Institute for the Study of American Philosophy and Semiotics delivered by Stanul Grozev and Reni Yankova, highlighting the future plans for the development of the organization and putting a strong emphasis on its core values.
The first topic of the day was “Charles Sanders Peirce, Charles Ives, and the Hypothesis of Reality.” The parallels between Ives and Peirce are not confined to the complicated history of their professional endeavors in the fields of music and philosophy–both of them were not recognized for the value of their work by their contemporaries, but also both of them were striving to achieve a certain level of multilayered expression which would be able to withhold within itself the complexity of human thought and human interactions. Those interesting points of conjuncture between music and philosophy were brought together by Professor Nordmann in a unified polyphony with the help of short orchestral interludes by Ives, setting the tone for the remaining hours of the workshop.
What followed was an important historical overview on the influence of pragmatism on the development of modern Turkish society by Professor Mustafa Özsari from Balikesir University in his presentation “Peirce’s Trip to the Ottoman Empire and the Effect of Peirce’s Thought (Pragmatism) on the Turkish Modernization Process.” Indeed, Peirce visited the Ottoman empire as early as 1870 as part of his assignment as member of the United States Coast Survey. During this short visit he didn’t get the chance to actively interact with members of the academic circles. Nevertheless, the influence of his ideas, like a distinct musical line of tones composed by Ives, was carried over several decades forward in time and was picked up by numerous Turkish scholars, playing an important role in the modernization process of contemporary Türkiye.
The next section of the workshop was led by Professor Mahbube Nazli Inönü from Istanbul University in her presentation on “Peirce’s New Influence: Abduction.” Starting from the fundamental propositions of Aristotle’s logic, Professor Inonu traced the development of abductive reasoning in the works of Peirce and its application in contemporary sciences. The comprehensive structure of the presentation and the numerous examples of the application of the abductive method facilitated a meaningful interchange of ideas between the participants in the workshop during the time allocated for discussion.
The topic of Peirce and the Arts was continued in Martin Petrushev’s presentation on “Theater and Signification. Dostoevsky and Peirce.” If the multilayered structure of reality is expressed in music by the converging harmony lines of Charles Ives, it is Dostoevsky who is able to represent the entire dissonance of the vivid images of human interactions in the field of literature. Stepping on the literary theory of Mikhail Bakhtin and utilizing Peirce’s method of abduction, Martin Petrushev unveils the philosophical depth expressed by the voices of the distinct and seemingly separated characters of Dostoevsky’s novels, integrated together in their theatrical representation.
This was followed by a historical overview on the development of pragmatism in Bulgaria by Stanul Grozev in “The Bulgarian reception of Peirce in the pre-totalitarian period and its later interpretation.” The presentation was centered around Sarailiev’s fundamental philosophical heritage and its influence on contemporary Bulgarian scholars. In the course of the workshop it became evident that there are intrinsic similarities between the early introduction of pragmatism in Bulgaria in the first half of the 20th century and the development and influence of pragmatism in Türkiye during the same period.
The workshop was concluded with a presentation by Professor Ivan Mladenov on “The Silent Semiosis: Peirce’s notion of the Ground and Art.” In this section Professor Mladenov shared his latest studies on the beginning of thought, utilizing Peirce’s notion of “ground” in explaining the processes of inspiration and anticipation in the arts. And in the end, as every human endeavor starts with a single thought and every thought has its ground, it was the enormous amount of work and dedication of Professor Mladenov throughout the years that provided the ground for this wonderful workshop and the future endeavors of the Institute for the Study of American Philosophy and Semiotics.
