Name Origin

We have chosen the name Arisbe to carry on the legacy of one of the most underrated figures in American history. Charles Sanders Peirce. Peirce was a prolific polymath who made groundbreaking contributions in numerous fields from astronomy and psychology to math and logic; these contributions earned him the title of American Aristotle. Peirce’s work went unrecognized in his lifetime but he is now acknowledged as the father of “Pragmatism” -- the most original American contribution to Western philosophy.

While Peirce’s repertoire is as expansive as it is impressive, the latter part of his life was lived in a state of relative destitution. His marginalization and eventual exclusion from institutions of higher education led Peirce to Milford, Pennsylvania around 1887. There, he lived on an estate named “Arisbe” after one of the Trojan cities in Homer’s Iliad.

Peirce completed the bulk of his work at Arisbe and labored endlessly to devise a philosophy so comprehensive, it rivaled Aristotle’s in terms of depth, breadth, and lasting influence.   Arisbe Educational Foundation aspires to spread the letter and spirit of Peirce’s work both within and outside the United States. His study and scholarship were enshrined in an immovable understanding of the interconnectedness of fields of knowledge. In this way, Pierce’s work harkens to pre-modern, Classical traditions in which students gained expertise across multiple fields rather than studying a single field in isolation, as is common today. Inspired by the“logic of relations” which underpins Pierce’s philosophy of Pragmatism, AEF strives to honor his legacy by assisting in the social upliftment of community members through increased, equitable access to education.