Abstract

The cosmology of Charles Peirce is amongst the least celebrated aspects of his thought.It is typically considered far too anthropomorphic to be a serious contribution to our understanding of the evolution of reality. While this anthropomorphism may or may not disqualify the cosmology from serious scientific consideration, it is quite possible that the cosmology does offer philosophical insights about the very human experience that inspired it. In this dissertation I offer a "reclaiming" of the Peircean cosmology. My intent is to look to the Peircean cosmology not for insights about the growth of the cosmos as such, but for insights about the growing self. ;Specifically, the dissertation takes cue from Peirce's 1893 essay "Evolutionary Love" which claims that "growth comes only from love" or agape. The majority of the dissertation is dedicated to a historically and biologically informed examination of the relation between agape and growth in Peirce's philosophy. My hope, however, is to not only to clarify the specifics of this relationship in theory, but to apply Peirce's account of agapastic growth to an experientially persuasive account of the evolution of the self