Richard Kenneth Atkins is Associate Professor of Philosophy at Boston College. He is author of Charles S. Peirce's Phenomenology (2018), Peirce and the Conduct of Life (2016), and Puzzled?! (2015). He is co-editor of Peirce on Perception and Reasoning (2017). His articles have appeared in Synthese, British Journal for the History of Philosophy, European Journal of Philosophy, and History and Philosophy of Logic, among other venues. He previously served as Executive Director of the Charles S. Peirce Society.
Atkins' fresh and detailed focus on Peirce's theory of inference brings logic, epistemology, and philosophy of science into fruitful conversation with each other. While doing so, the book clarifies longstanding terminological and developmental issues. Charitable, careful, and provocative, Peirce on Inference will unsettle beliefs, resolve doubts, and redirect the course of Peirce scholarship. Atkins effectively conveys not just the rigor and systematicity of Peirce's ideas about validity, probability, and explanation, but also their intimate involvement with matters of vital human importance. * Jeffery L. Kasser, Associate Professor, Colorado State University * Richard Atkins meticulously details Peirce's theory of inference in a must-read book for anyone interested in the logic of inquiry. Scholars familiar with Peirce will find numerous new insights, while those new to his thought find a comprehensive, well-thought-out, and easy-to-follow account that neatly lays out Peirce's views on inference. * Cornelis de Waal, Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis *