Heuristic Potential of Deductive Diagrams: a Peircean approach

This chapter is a scholarly publication in Portuguese (Original title: Potencialidades Heurísticas dos Diagramas Dedutivos: uma abordagem peirceana).Publisher: ANPOF (National Association of Graduate Studies in Philosophy, Brazil), which is the leading institution for philosophical research in the country.Fields: Semiotics, Philosophy of Mind, and Pragmatism.Franco, J. R., & Borges, P. M. (2017). Potencialidades heurísticas dos diagramas dedutivos: Uma abordagem peirceana. In A. Araujo, A. Correia, P. Ghiraldelli, & G. Mograbi (Eds.), Pragmatismo, filosofia da mente e neurociência (1st ed., Vol. 1, pp. 59–77). Editora Anpof. AbstractIn this work, the authors explore the framework of Charles S. Peirce to argue for the importance of diagrams not merely as information displays, but as essential heuristic and pedagogical tools. The chapter details the mechanics of corollarial and theorematic deductive processes, demonstrating how diagrammatic reasoning functions as a tool for discovery and logic. The theoretical analysis is further applied to the study of audiovisual examples, highlighting the practical heuristic potential of these Peircean logical structures. Mathematicians have been aware of the value of diagrams and other visual tools, both for teaching and as heuristic tools for discovery. For example, Euler and Venn are well known for their development of diagrammatic tools for solving mathematical problems. Currently, diagrammatic tools have gained even greater value, thanks in large part to the graphic potential of computers and computing devices. However, despite the obvious importance of diagrams in human cognitive activities, the heuristic possibilities of diagrammatic processes have not been much theorized, especially in learning theories. The present work aims, from the framework of Charles S. Peirce, to claim the importance of diagrams not only as representation of information, but as heuristic and pedagogical tools. Peirce developed the idea of the diagram as a reasoning tool. Specifically, in this work we will present the diagrams of corollarial and theorematic deductive processes and then we will analyze the heuristic potential of such diagrams in audiovisual examples.