C. S. Peirce and the Nested Continua Model of Religious Interpretation

This study develops resources in the work of Charles S. Pierce (1839-1914) for the purposes of contemporary philosophy. It contextualizes Pierce's prevailing influencs and provides greater context in relation to the currents of nineteenth-century thought. Dr Gary Slater articulates "a nested continua model" for theological interpretation, which is indebted to Pierce's creation of "Existential Graphs," a system of diagrams designed to provide visual representation of the process of human reasoning. He investigates how the model can be applied by looking at recent debates in historiography. He deals respectively with Peter Ochs and Robert C. Neville as contemporary manifestations of Pericean philosophical theology. This work concludes with an assessment of the model's theological implications.

Gary Slater is Adjunct faculty at St Edwards University.