第 6 节
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独来读网 更新:2021-02-25 00:21 字数:9322
syllogism; and therefore a fortiori demonstration; is addressed not to
the spoken word; but to the discourse within the soul; and though we
can always raise objections to the spoken word; to the inward
discourse we cannot always object。 That which is capable of proof
but assumed by the teacher without proof is; if the pupil believes and
accepts it; hypothesis; though only in a limited sense hypothesis…that
is; relatively to the pupil; if the pupil has no opinion or a contrary
opinion on the matter; the same assumption is an illegitimate
postulate。 Therein lies the distinction between hypothesis and
illegitimate postulate: the latter is the contrary of the pupil's
opinion; demonstrable; but assumed and used without demonstration。
The definition…viz。 those which are not expressed as statements that
anything is or is not…are not hypotheses: but it is in the premisses
of a science that its hypotheses are contained。 Definitions require
only to be understood; and this is not hypothesis…unless it be
contended that the pupil's hearing is also an hypothesis required by
the teacher。 Hypotheses; on the contrary; postulate facts on the being
of which depends the being of the fact inferred。 Nor are the
geometer's hypotheses false; as some have held; urging that one must
not employ falsehood and that the geometer is uttering falsehood in
stating that the line which he draws is a foot long or straight;
when it is actually neither。 The truth is that the geometer does not
draw any conclusion from the being of the particular line of which
he speaks; but from what his diagrams symbolize。 A further distinction
is that all hypotheses and illegitimate postulates are either
universal or particular; whereas a definition is neither。
11
So demonstration does not necessarily imply the being of Forms nor a
One beside a Many; but it does necessarily imply the possibility of
truly predicating one of many; since without this possibility we
cannot save the universal; and if the universal goes; the middle
term goes witb。 it; and so demonstration becomes impossible。 We
conclude; then; that there must be a single identical term
unequivocally predicable of a number of individuals。
The law that it is impossible to affirm and deny simultaneously
the same predicate of the same subject is not expressly posited by any
demonstration except when the conclusion also has to be expressed in
that form; in which case the proof lays down as its major premiss that
the major is truly affirmed of the middle but falsely denied。 It makes
no difference; however; if we add to the middle; or again to the minor
term; the corresponding negative。 For grant a minor term of which it
is true to predicate man…even if it be also true to predicate
not…man of itstill grant simply that man is animal and not
not…animal; and the conclusion follows: for it will still be true to
say that Calliaseven if it be also true to say that
not…Calliasis animal and not not…animal。 The reason is that the
major term is predicable not only of the middle; but of something
other than the middle as well; being of wider application; so that the
conclusion is not affected even if the middle is extended to cover the
original middle term and also what is not the original middle term。
The law that every predicate can be either truly affirmed or truly
denied of every subject is posited by such demonstration as uses
reductio ad impossibile; and then not always universally; but so far
as it is requisite; within the limits; that is; of the genus…the
genus; I mean (as I have already explained); to which the man of
science applies his demonstrations。 In virtue of the common elements
of demonstration…I mean the common axioms which are used as
premisses of demonstration; not the subjects nor the attributes
demonstrated as belonging to them…all the sciences have communion with
one another; and in communion with them all is dialectic and any
science which might attempt a universal proof of axioms such as the
law of excluded middle; the law that the subtraction of equals from
equals leaves equal remainders; or other axioms of the same kind。
Dialectic has no definite sphere of this kind; not being confined to a
single genus。 Otherwise its method would not be interrogative; for the
interrogative method is barred to the demonstrator; who cannot use the
opposite facts to prove the same nexus。 This was shown in my work on
the syllogism。
12
If a syllogistic question is equivalent to a proposition embodying
one of the two sides of a contradiction; and if each science has its
peculiar propositions from which its peculiar conclusion is developed;
then there is such a thing as a distinctively scientific question; and
it is the interrogative form of the premisses from which the
'appropriate' conclusion of each science is developed。 Hence it is
clear that not every question will be relevant to geometry; nor to
medicine; nor to any other science: only those questions will be
geometrical which form premisses for the proof of the theorems of
geometry or of any other science; such as optics; which uses the
same basic truths as geometry。 Of the other sciences the like is true。
Of these questions the geometer is bound to give his account; using
the basic truths of geometry in conjunction with his previous
conclusions; of the basic truths the geometer; as such; is not bound
to give any account。 The like is true of the other sciences。 There
is a limit; then; to the questions which we may put to each man of
science; nor is each man of science bound to answer all inquiries on
each several subject; but only such as fall within the defined field
of his own science。 If; then; in controversy with a geometer qua
geometer the disputant confines himself to geometry and proves
anything from geometrical premisses; he is clearly to be applauded; if
he goes outside these he will be at fault; and obviously cannot even
refute the geometer except accidentally。 One should therefore not
discuss geometry among those who are not geometers; for in such a
company an unsound argument will pass unnoticed。 This is
correspondingly true in the other sciences。
Since there are 'geometrical' questions; does it follow that there
are also distinctively 'ungeometrical' questions? Further; in each
special science…geometry for instance…what kind of error is it that
may vitiate questions; and yet not exclude them from that science?
Again; is the erroneous conclusion one constructed from premisses
opposite to the true premisses; or is it formal fallacy though drawn
from geometrical premisses? Or; perhaps; the erroneous conclusion is
due to the drawing of premisses from another science; e。g。 in a
geometrical controversy a musical question is distinctively
ungeometrical; whereas the notion that parallels meet is in one
sense geometrical; being ungeometrical in a different fashion: the
reason being that 'ungeometrical'; like 'unrhythmical'; is
equivocal; meaning in the one case not geometry at all; in the other
bad geometry? It is this error; i。e。 error based on premisses of
this kind…'of' the science but false…that is the contrary of
science。 In mathematics the formal fallacy is not so common; because
it is the middle term in which the ambiguity lies; since the major
is predicated of the whole of the middle and the middle of the whole
of the minor (the predicate of course never has the prefix 'all'); and
in mathematics one can; so to speak; see these middle terms with an
intellectual vision; while in dialectic the ambiguity may escape
detection。 E。g。 'Is every circle a figure?' A diagram shows that
this is so; but the minor premiss 'Are epics circles?' is shown by the
diagram to be false。
If a proof has an inductive minor premiss; one should not bring an
'objection' against it。 For since every premiss must be applicable
to a number of cases (otherwise it will not be true in every instance;
which; since the syllogism proceeds from universals; it must be); then
assuredly the same is true of an 'objection'; since premisses and
'objections' are so far the same that anything which can be validly
advanced as an 'objection' must be such that it could take the form of
a premiss; either demonstrative or dialectical。 On the other hand;
arguments formally illogical do sometimes occur through taking as
middles mere