Q0193
“Do not block the way of inquiry.” — Charles Sanders Peirce (F.R.L. (c. 1899); CP 1.135)
Verified English quotation. Primary source: F.R.L. (c. 1899); CP 1.135. Theme: inquiry.
English
Do not block the way of inquiry.
Source and attribution
The archive attributes this English wording to F.R.L. (c. 1899); CP 1.135 and files it under Pragmatism. That locator distinguishes the passage from loose internet attributions: readers can return to the named work or section to check translation, surrounding argument, and edition-specific wording.
About Charles Sanders Peirce
Charles Sanders Peirce (1839–1914) was an American logician, scientist, and founder of pragmatism (which he later renamed pragmaticism). Employed irregularly by the Coast Survey and in brief academic posts, he wrote vast unpublished manuscripts.
Interpretation
Peirce is describing what inquiry is for. The irritation of doubt is not an annoyance to be eliminated but the thing that starts inquiry and gives it direction; the aim is to settle belief so action can proceed. What matters in his account is the method: a belief fixed by authority or by what is agreeable settles the feeling of doubt without settling anything real. Only a method answerable to something independent can produce stable belief.
Why it matters
It distinguishes settling a question from feeling settled about it. Many techniques for resolving uncertainty achieve only the second.
Concepts in this quote
- Inquiry
- Inquiry is the disciplined pursuit of better questions and answers—philosophy as method rather than dogma.
- Reason
- Reason is the capacity to give and assess reasons—central to logic, science, ethics, and public argument.
How to cite this quotation
APA: Charles Sanders Peirce. (n.d.). Do not block the way of inquiry. In Philosophy Blind Box. https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0193
MLA: Charles Sanders Peirce. “Do not block the way of inquiry..” Philosophy Blind Box, https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0193.
Chicago: Charles Sanders Peirce. “Do not block the way of inquiry..” Philosophy Blind Box. Accessed 2026. https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0193.
Frequently asked questions
What is the source of the quotation “Do not block the way of inquiry.”?
The passage is attributed to Charles Sanders Peirce, F.R.L. (c. 1899); CP 1.135. The archive attributes this English wording to F.R.L. (c. 1899); CP 1.135 and files it under Pragmatism. That locator distinguishes the passage from loose internet attributions: readers can return to the named work or section to check translation, surrounding argument, and edition-specific wording.
What does Charles Sanders Peirce mean by inquiry?
Socratic elenchus, scientific method, and pragmatist experimentalism treat inquiry as self-correcting. The ethics of inquiry asks for intellectual honesty. This passage enters that discussion through inquiry, reason.