Peirce: "The Essentials of Pragmatism" (251-268)

Conclusion:

Belief, insofar as it is free of doubt, leads to actions such that reflecting upon them increasingly reinforces their character; this fixed character is perfected when there is no more self-control and self-reproach over those actions.

“That ultimate state of habit to which the action of self-control ultimately tends, where no room is left for further self-control, is, in the case of thought, the state of fixed belief, or perfect knowledge.” (258)

Premises:

1. Belief is a relatively enduring habit of mind, rather than a mere whim of consciousness (257).

2. Doubt is the lack of this habit, but manifests itself as a “condition of erratic activity” (257).

3. Belief, as an enduring habit, influences and leads to actions.

4. In order for belief to lead to consistent actions, doubt must be relinquished.

5. However, these actions are being mediated by self-control, not arbitrarily, but in such a way that they tend towards a fixed character (257).

6. This fixed character is identified through the wane of self-reproach (257), where self-reproach can be considered a form of doubt.

7. Reflecting upon an action after it has already taken place can diminish the feeling of self-reproach (257).

a. This reflection is a necessary element in initiating the action at a later time (257).

8. Subsequent reflections of the action, when it is being repeated at later times, will increasingly diminish self-reproach.

9. As the action is repeated, its character becomes more clearly distinguishable and fixed.

a. Since the character of the action is being increasingly fixed, self-control over that action also diminishes to a greater degree (257).

10. The perfection of the fixed character of action is marked by the entire absence of self-control and self-reproach (257).