第 6 节
作者: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