Understand me well. My appeal is to observation — observation that each of you must make for himself. - Charles Sanders Peirce

The tendency to regard continuity, in the sense in which I shall define it, as an idea of prime importance in philosophy conveniently may be be termed synechism. The present paper is intended chiefly to show what synechism is, and what it leads to.

I think that I have succeeded in making it clear that this doctrine gives room for explanations of many facts which without it are absolutely and hopelessly inexplicable; and further that it carries along with it the following doctrines: first, a logical realism of the most pronounced type; second, objective idealism; third, tychism, with its consequent thoroughgoing evolutionism. We also notice that the doctrine presents no hindrences to spiritual influences, such as some philosophies are felt to do.

Now if we are to accept the common idea of continuity . . . we must either say that a continuous line contains no points or . . . that the principle of excluded middle does not hold of these points. The principle of excluded middle applies only to an individual . . . but places being mere possibilities without actual existence are not individuals.