He was born inSalem, Massachusetts, the son of first cousinsBenjamin Peirce (1778–1831), later librarian of Harvard, and Lydia Ropes Nichols Peirce (1781–1868).[2]
After graduating fromHarvard University in 1829, he taught mathematics for two years at theRound Hill School in Northampton, and in 1831 was appointed professor of mathematics at Harvard. He addedastronomy to his portfolio in 1842, and remained as Harvard professor until his death. In addition, he was instrumental in the development of Harvard's science curriculum, served as the college librarian, and was director of theUnited States Coast Survey from 1867 to 1874.In 1842, he was elected as a member of theAmerican Philosophical Society.[3] He was elected aForeign Member of the Royal Society of London in 1852.[4]
Benjamin Peirce is often regarded as the earliest American scientist whose research was recognized as world class.[5] He was an apologist forslavery, opining that it should be condoned if it was used to allow an elite to pursue scientific enquiry.[6]
In the philosophy of mathematics, he became known for the statement that "Mathematics is the science that draws necessary conclusions".[7] Peirce's definition of mathematics was credited by his son,Charles Sanders Peirce, as helping to initiate the consequence-oriented philosophy ofpragmatism. LikeGeorge Boole, Peirce believed that mathematics could be used to studylogic. These ideas were further developed by his son Charles, who noted that logic also includes the study of faulty reasoning. In contrast, the laterlogicist program ofGottlob Frege andBertrand Russell attempted to base mathematics on logic.
Peirce proposed what came to be known asPeirce's Criterion for the statistical treatment ofoutliers, that is, of apparently extreme observations. His ideas were further developed by his son Charles.[8]
Peirce was anexpert witness in theHowland will forgery trial, where he was assisted by his son Charles. Their analysis of the questioned signature showed that it resembled another particular handwriting example so closely that the chance of such a match occurring at random, i.e. by pure coincidence, was extremely small.[9]
He was devoutly religious, though he seldom published his theological thoughts.[10] Peirce credited God as shaping nature in ways that account for the efficacy of pure mathematics in describing empirical phenomena.[11] Peirce viewed "mathematics as study of God's work by God's creatures", according to an encyclopedia.[10] He was an avid juggler ofdiabolo and wrote about the physics of the game inAnalytic Mechanics.[12]
He married Sarah Hunt Mills, the daughter of U.S. SenatorElijah Hunt Mills.[13] Peirce and his wife had four sons and one daughter:[14]
James Mills Peirce (1834–1906), who also taught mathematics at Harvard and succeeded to his father's professorship,
Linear Associative Algebra, lithograph by Peirce 1872. New edition with corrections, notes, and an added 1875 paper by Peirce, plus notes by his sonCharles Sanders Peirce, published in theAmerican Journal of Mathematics v. 4, 1881, Johns Hopkins University, pp. 221–226,GoogleEprint and as an extract, D. Van Nostrand, 1882,GoogleEprint.
^"Peirce", in the case of Benjamin Peirce and family, always rhymes with "terse" and so, in most dialects, is pronounced like the word "purseⓘ". See "Note on the Pronunciation of 'Peirce'", ThePeirce [Edition] Project Newsletter, Vol. 1, Nos. 3/4, Dec. 1994,EprintArchived March 3, 2016, at theWayback Machine.
^abGrattan-Guinness, Ivor and Walsh, Alison (2008), "Benjamin Peirce",Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy.Eprint.
^Peirce, "Address of Professor Benjamin Peirce, President of the American Association for the Year 1853",Proceedings of the American Association for the Advancement of Sciences, Eighth Meeting [ = Volume 8], held at Washington D.C., May, 1854, published 1855, pp. 1–17, see especially pp. 12–15.Google BooksEprint
^Notes and Queries (August 27, 1881 ed.). Oxford University Press. 1881. p. 176.
^Adams, Henry.The Life of George Cabot Lodge. pp. 4–5. Boston and New York: Houghton Mifflin, 1911
Peirce, Benjamin (1872, 1881),Linear Associative Algebra. Lithograph edition by Peirce 1872. New edition with corrections, notes, and an added 1875 paper by Peirce, plus notes by his sonCharles Sanders Peirce, published in theAmerican Journal of Mathematics v. 4, n. 1, 1881, Johns Hopkins University, pp. 221–226,GoogleEprint,doi:10.2307/2369153JSTOR and as an extract, D. Van Nostrand, 1882,GoogleEprint,Internet ArchiveEprint.
Peirce, Benjamin (1878), "On Peirce's Criterion",Proceedings of theAmerican Academy of Arts and Sciences, v. 13 (whole series), v. 5 (new series), for May 1877 – May 1878, Boston: Press of John Wilson and Son, pp. 348–351.GoogleEprint.JSTORabstract.
Peirce, Charles Sanders (1870/1871/1873) "Appendix No. 21. On the Theory of Errors of Observation",Report of the Superintendent of the United States Coast Survey Showing the Progress of the Survey During the Year 1870, pp. 200–224. Coast Survey Report submitted February 18, 1871, published 1873 by the U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, D.C.Reports 1837–1965. NOAAPDF Eprint (link goes to 1870 Report's p. 200, PDF's p. 215). Reprinted in pp. 140–160 ofWritings of Charles S. Peirce: A Chronological Edition: Volume 3, 1872–1878, Christian J. W. Kloeselet al., eds., Bloomington, Indiana: Indiana University Press,ISBN0-253-37201-1.
Stigler, Stephen M. (1980). "Mathematical Statistics in the Early States". InStephen M. Stigler (ed.).American Contributions to Mathematical Statistics in the Nineteenth Century, Volumes I & II. Vol. I. New York: Arno Press.
Stigler, Stephen M. (1989). "Mathematical Statistics in the Early States". In Peter Duren (ed.).A Century of Mathematics in America. Vol. III. Providence, RI: American Mathematical Society. pp. 537–564.
