第7章

类别:其他 作者:Aristotle字数:21484更新时间:19/01/07 08:52:19
Moreover,trytosecureadmissionsbymeansoflikeness:forsuchadmissionsareplausible,andtheuniversalinvolvedislesspatent; e。g。maketheotherpersonadmitthatasknowledgeandignoranceofcontrariesisthesame,sotooperceptionofcontrariesisthesame; orviceversa,thatsincetheperceptionisthesame,soistheknowledgealso。Thisargumentresemblesinduction,butisnotthesamething;forininductionitistheuniversalwhoseadmissionissecuredfromtheparticulars,whereasinargumentsfromlikeness,whatissecuredisnottheuniversalunderwhichallthelikecasesfall。 Itisagoodrulealso,occasionallytobringanobjectionagainstoneself:foranswerersareputofftheirguardagainstthosewhoappeartobearguingimpartially。Itisusefultoo,toaddthat’Soandsoisgenerallyheldorcommonlysaid’;forpeopleareshyofupsettingthereceivedopinionunlesstheyhavesomepositiveobjectiontourge:andatthesametimetheyarecautiousaboutupsettingsuchthingsbecausetheythemselvestoofindthemuseful。 Moreover,donotbeinsistent,eventhoughyoureallyrequirethepoint:forinsistencealwaysarousesthemoreopposition。Further,formulateyourpremissasthoughitwereamereillustration:forpeopleadmitthemorereadilyapropositionmadetoservesomeotherpurpose,andnotrequiredonitsownaccount。Moreover,donotformulatetheverypropositionyouneedtosecure,butrathersomethingfromwhichthatnecessarilyfollows:forpeoplearemorewillingtoadmitthelatter,becauseitisnotsoclearfromthiswhattheresultwillbe,andiftheonehasbeensecured,theotherhasbeensecuredalso。Again,oneshouldputlastthepointwhichonemostwishestohaveconceded;forpeoplearespeciallyinclinedtodenythefirstquestionsputtothem,becausemostpeopleinaskingquestionsputfirstthepointswhichtheyaremosteagertosecure。Ontheotherhand,indealingwithsomepeoplepropositionsofthissortshouldbeputforwardfirst:forill—temperedmenadmitmostreadilywhatcomesfirst,unlesstheconclusionthatwillresultactuallystaresthemintheface,whileatthecloseofanargumenttheyshowtheirill—temper。Likewisealsowiththosewhoconsiderthemselvessmartatanswering:forwhentheyhaveadmittedmostofwhatyouwanttheyfinallytalkclap—traptotheeffectthattheconclusiondoesnotfollowfromtheiradmissions:yettheysay’Yes’readily,confidentintheirowncharacter,andimaginingthattheycannotsufferanyreverse。Moreover,itiswelltoexpandtheargumentandinsertthingsthatitdoesnotrequireatall,asdothosewhodrawfalsegeometricalfigures:forinthemultitudeofdetailsthewhereaboutsofthefallacyisobscured。Forthisreasonalsoaquestionersometimesevadesobservationasheaddsinacornerwhat,ifheformulateditbyitself,wouldnotbegranted。 Forconcealment,then,theruleswhichshouldbefollowedaretheabove。Ornamentisattainedbyinductionanddistinctionofthingscloselyakin。Whatsortofprocessinductionisobvious:asfordistinction,aninstanceofthekindofthingmeantisthedistinctionofoneformofknowledgeasbetterthananotherbybeingeithermoreaccurate,orconcernedwithbetterobjects;orthedistinctionofsciencesintospeculative,practical,andproductive。Foreverythingofthiskindlendsadditionalornamenttotheargument,thoughthereisnonecessitytosaythem,sofarastheconclusiongoes。 Forclearness,examplesandcomparisonsshouldbeadduced,andlettheillustrationsberelevantanddrawnfromthingsthatweknow,asinHomerandnotasinChoerilus;forthenthepropositionislikelytobecomeclearer。 2 Indialectics,syllogismshouldbeemployedinreasoningagainstdialecticiansratherthanagainstthecrowd:induction,ontheotherhand,ismostusefulagainstthecrowd。Thispointhasbeentreatedpreviouslyaswell。’Ininduction,itispossibleinsomecasestoaskthequestioninitsuniversalform,butinothersthisisnoteasy,becausethereisnoestablishedgeneraltermthatcoversalltheresemblances:inthiscase,whenpeopleneedtosecuretheuniversal,theyusethephrase’inallcasesofthissort’。Butitisoneoftheveryhardestthingstodistinguishwhichofthethingsadducedare’ofthissort’,andwhicharenot:andinthisconnexionpeopleoftenthrowdustineachothers’eyesintheirdiscussion,theonepartyassertingthelikenessofthingsthatarenotalike,andtheotherdisputingthelikenessofthingsthatare。Oneought,therefore,totryoneselftocoinawordtocoverallthingsofthegivensort,soastoleavenoopportunityeithertotheanswerertodispute,andsaythatthethingadvanceddoesnotanswertoalikedescription,ortothequestionertosuggestfalselythatitdoesanswertoalikedescription,formanythingsappeartoanswertolikedescriptionsthatdonotreallydoso。 Ifonehasmadeaninductiononthestrengthofseveralcasesandyettheanswererrefusestogranttheuniversalproposition,thenitisfairtodemandhisobjection。Butuntilonehasoneselfstatedinwhatcasesitisso,itisnotfairtodemandthatheshallsayinwhatcasesitisnotso:foroneshouldmaketheinductionfirst,andthendemandtheobjection。Oneought,moreover,toclaimthattheobjectionsshouldnotbebroughtinreferencetotheactualsubjectoftheproposition,unlessthatsubjecthappentobetheoneandonlythingofthekind,asforinstancetwoistheoneprimenumberamongtheevennumbers:for,unlesshecansaythatthissubjectisuniqueofitskind,theobjectoroughttomakehisobjectioninregardtosomeother。Peoplesometimesobjecttoauniversalproposition,andbringtheirobjectionnotinregardtothethingitself,butinregardtosomehomonymofit:thustheyarguethatamancanverywellhaveacolourorafootorahandotherthanhisown,forapaintermayhaveacolourthatisnothisown,andacookmayhaveafootthatisnothisown。Tomeetthem,therefore,youshoulddrawthedistinctionbeforeputtingyourquestioninsuchcases:forsolongastheambiguityremainsundetected,solongwilltheobjectiontothepropositionbedeemedvalid。If,however,hecheckstheseriesofquestionsbyanobjectioninregardnottosomehomonym,buttotheactualthingasserted,thequestionershouldwithdrawthepointobjectedto,andformtheremainderintoauniversalproposition,untilhesecureswhatherequires;e。g。inthecaseofforgetfulnessandhavingforgotten:forpeoplerefusetoadmitthatthemanwhohaslosthisknowledgeofathinghasforgottenit,becauseifthethingalters,hehaslostknowledgeofit,buthehasnotforgottenit。Accordinglythethingtodoistowithdrawthepartobjectedto,andasserttheremainder,e。g。thatifapersonhavelostknowledgeofathingwhileitstillremains,hethenhasforgottenit。Oneshouldsimilarlytreatthosewhoobjecttothestatementthat’thegreaterthegood,thegreatertheevilthatisitsopposite’:fortheyallegethathealth,whichisalessgoodthingthanvigour,hasagreaterevilasitsopposite:fordiseaseisagreaterevilthandebility。Inthiscasetoo,therefore,wehavetowithdrawthepointobjectedto;forwhenithasbeenwithdrawn,themanismorelikelytoadmittheproposition,e。g。that’thegreatergoodhasthegreaterevilasitsopposite,unlesstheonegoodinvolvestheotheraswell’,asvigourinvolveshealth。Thisshouldbedonenotonlywhenheformulatesanobjection,butalsoif,withoutsodoing,herefusestoadmitthepointbecauseheforeseessomethingofthekind:forifthepointobjectedtobewithdrawn,hewillbeforcedtoadmitthepropositionbecausehecannotforeseeintherestofitanycasewhereitdoesnotholdtrue:ifherefusetoadmitit,thenwhenaskedforanobjectionhecertainlywillbeunabletorenderone。Propositionsthatarepartlyfalseandpartlytrueareofthistype:forinthecaseoftheseitispossiblebywithdrawingaparttoleavetheresttrue。If,however,youformulatethepropositiononthestrengthofmanycasesandhehasnoobjectiontobring,youmayclaimthatheshalladmitit:forapremissisvalidindialecticswhichthusholdsinseveralinstancesandtowhichnoobjectionisforthcoming。 Wheneveritispossibletoreasontothesameconclusioneitherthroughorwithoutareductionperimpossibile,ifoneisdemonstratingandnotarguingdialecticallyitmakesnodifferencewhichmethodofreasoningbeadopted,butinargumentwithanotherreasoningperimpossibileshouldbeavoided。Forwhereonehasreasonedwithoutthereductionperimpossibile,nodisputecanarise;if,ontheotherhand,onedoesreasontoanimpossibleconclusion,unlessitsfalsehoodistooplainlymanifest,peopledenythatitisimpossible,sothatthequestionersdonotgetwhattheywant。 Oneshouldputforwardallpropositionsthatholdtrueofseveralcases,andtowhicheithernoobjectionwhateverappearsoratleastnotanyonthesurface:forwhenpeoplecannotseeanycaseinwhichitisnotso,theyadmititfortrue。 Theconclusionshouldnotbeputintheformofaquestion;ifitbe,andthemanshakeshishead,itlooksasifthereasoninghadfailed。Foroften,evenifitbenotputasaquestionbutadvancedasaconsequence,peopledenyit,andthenthosewhodonotseethatitfollowsuponthepreviousadmissionsdonotrealizethatthosewhodenyithavebeenrefuted:when,then,theonemanmerelyasksitasaquestionwithoutevensayingthatitsofollows,andtheotherdeniesit,itlooksaltogetherasifthereasoninghadfailed。 Noteveryuniversalquestioncanformadialecticalpropositionasordinarilyunderstood,e。g。’Whatisman?’or’Howmanymeaningshas\"thegood\"?’Foradialecticalpremissmustbeofaformtowhichitispossibletoreply’Yes’or’No’,whereastotheaforesaiditisnotpossible。Forthisreasonquestionsofthiskindarenotdialecticalunlessthequestionerhimselfdrawsdistinctionsordivisionsbeforeexpressingthem,e。g。’Goodmeansthis,orthis,doesitnot?’ForquestionsofthissortareeasilyansweredbyaYesoraNo。Henceoneshouldendeavourtoformulatepropositionsofthiskindinthisform。Itisatthesametimealsoperhapsfairtoasktheothermanhowmanymeaningsof’thegood’thereare,wheneveryouhaveyourselfdistinguishedandformulatedthem,andhewillnotadmitthematall。 Anyonewhokeepsonaskingonethingforalongtimeisabadinquirer。Forifhedoessothoughthepersonquestionedkeepsonansweringthequestions,clearlyheasksalargenumberofquestions,orelseasksthesamequestionalargenumberoftimes: intheonecasehemerelybabbles,intheotherhefailstoreason: forreasoningalwaysconsistsofasmallnumberofpremisses。If,ontheotherhand,hedoesitbecausethepersonquestioneddoesnotanswerthequestions,heisatfaultinnottakinghimtotaskorbreakingoffthediscussion。 3 Therearecertainhypothesesuponwhichitisatoncedifficulttobring,andeasytostandupto,anargument。Such(e。g。)arethosethingswhichstandfirstandthosewhichstandlastintheorderofnature。Fortheformerrequiredefinition,whilethelatterhavetobearrivedatthroughmanystepsifonewishestosecureacontinuousprooffromfirstprinciples,orelsealldiscussionaboutthemwearstheairofmeresophistry:fortoproveanythingisimpossibleunlessonebeginswiththeappropriateprinciples,andconnectsinferencewithinferencetillthelastarereached。Nowtodefinefirstprinciplesisjustwhatanswerersdonotcaretodo,nordotheypayanyattentionifthequestionermakesadefinition:andyetuntilitisclearwhatitisthatisproposed,itisnoteasytodiscussit。Thissortofthinghappensparticularlyinthecaseofthefirstprinciples:forwhiletheotherpropositionsareshownthroughthese,thesecannotbeshownthroughanythingelse:weareobligedtounderstandeveryitemofthatsortbyadefinition。Theinferences,too,thatlietooclosetothefirstprinciplearehardtotreatinargument:foritisnotpossibletobringmanyargumentsinregardtothem,becauseofthesmallnumberofthosesteps,betweentheconclusionandtheprinciple,wherebythesucceedingpropositionshavetobeshown。Thehardest,however,ofalldefinitionstotreatinargumentarethosethatemploytermsaboutwhich,inthefirstplace,itisuncertainwhethertheyareusedinonesenseorseveral,and,further,whethertheyareusedliterallyormetaphoricallybythedefiner。Forbecauseoftheirobscurity,itisimpossibletoargueuponsuchterms;andbecauseoftheimpossibilityofsayingwhetherthisobscurityisduetotheirbeingusedmetaphorically,itisimpossibletorefutethem。 Ingeneral,itissafetosupposethat,wheneveranyproblemprovesintractable,iteitherneedsdefinitionorelsebearseitherseveralsenses,orametaphoricalsense,oritisnotfarremovedfromthefirstprinciples;orelsethereasonisthatwehaveyettodiscoverinthefirstplacejustthis—inwhichoftheaforesaiddirectionsthesourceofourdifficultylies:whenwehavemadethisclear,thenobviouslyourbusinessmustbeeithertodefineortodistinguish,ortosupplytheintermediatepremisses:foritisthroughthesethatthefinalconclusionsareshown。 Itoftenhappensthatadifficultyisfoundindiscussingorarguingagivenpositionbecausethedefinitionhasnotbeencorrectlyrendered:e。g。’Hasonethingonecontraryormany?’:herewhentheterm’contraries’hasbeenproperlydefined,itiseasytobringpeopletoseewhetheritispossibleforthesamethingtohaveseveralcontrariesornot:inthesamewayalsowithothertermsrequiringdefinition。Itappearsalsoinmathematicsthatthedifficultyinusingafigureissometimesduetoadefectindefinition;e。g。inprovingthatthelinewhichcutstheplaneparalleltoonesidedividessimilarlyboththelinewhichitcutsandthearea;whereasifthedefinitionbegiven,thefactassertedbecomesimmediatelyclear:fortheareashavethesamefractionsubtractedfromthemashavethesides:andthisisthedefinitionof’thesameratio’。Themostprimaryoftheelementaryprinciplesarewithoutexceptionveryeasytoshow,ifthedefinitionsinvolved,e。g。 thenatureofalineorofacircle,belaiddown;onlytheargumentsthatcanbebroughtinregardtoeachofthemarenotmany,becausetherearenotmanyintermediatesteps。If,ontheotherhand,thedefinitionofthestarting—pointsbenotlaiddown,toshowthemisdifficultandmayevenprovequiteimpossible。Thecaseofthesignificanceofverbalexpressionsislikethatofthesemathematicalconceptions。 Onemaybesurethen,wheneverapositionishardtodiscuss,thatoneorotheroftheaforesaidthingshashappenedtoit。Whenever,ontheotherhand,itisahardertasktoarguetothepointclaimed,i。e。thepremiss,thantotheresultingposition,adoubtmayarisewhethersuchclaimsshouldbeadmittedornot:forifamanisgoingtorefusetoadmititandclaimthatyoushallarguetoitaswell,hewillbegivingthesignalforaharderundertakingthanwasoriginallyproposed:if,ontheotherhand,hegrantsit,hewillbegivingtheoriginalthesiscredenceonthestrengthofwhatislesscrediblethanitself。If,then,itisessentialnottoenhancethedifficultyoftheproblem,hehadbettergrantit;if,ontheotherhand,itbeessentialtoreasonthroughpremissesthatarebetterassured,hehadbetterrefuse。Inotherwords,inseriousinquiryheoughtnottograntit,unlesshebemoresureaboutitthanabouttheconclusion;whereasinadialecticalexercisehemaydosoifheismerelysatisfiedofitstruth。Clearly,then,thecircumstancesunderwhichsuchadmissionsshouldbeclaimedaredifferentforamerequestionerandforaseriousteacher。 4 Astotheformulation,then,andarrangementofone’squestions,aboutenoughhasbeensaid。 Withregardtothegivingofanswers,wemustfirstdefinewhatisthebusinessofagoodanswerer,asofagoodquestioner。Thebusinessofthequestionerissotodeveloptheargumentastomaketheanswererutterthemostextrvagantparadoxesthatnecessarilyfollowbecauseofhisposition:whilethatoftheanswereristomakeitappearthatitisnothewhoisresponsiblefortheabsurdityorparadox,butonlyhisposition:foronemay,perhaps,distinguishbetweenthemistakeoftakingupawrongpositiontostartwith,andthatofnotmaintainingitproperly,whenoncetakenup。 5 Inasmuchasnorulesarelaiddownforthosewhoargueforthesakeoftrainingandofexamination:—andtheaimofthoseengagedinteachingorlearningisquitedifferentfromthatofthoseengagedinacompetition;asisthelatterfromthatofthosewhodiscussthingstogetherinthespiritofinquiry:foralearnershouldalwaysstatewhathethinks:fornooneiseventryingtoteachhimwhatisfalse;whereasinacompetitionthebusinessofthequestioneristoappearbyallmeanstoproduceaneffectupontheother,whilethatoftheanswereristoappearunaffectedbyhim;ontheotherhand,inanassemblyofdisputantsdiscussinginthespiritnotofacompetitionbutofanexaminationandinquiry,thereareasyetnoarticulaterulesaboutwhattheanswerershouldaimat,andwhatkindofthingsheshouldandshouldnotgrantforthecorrectorincorrectdefenceofhisposition:—inasmuch,then,aswehavenotraditionbequeathedtousbyothers,letustrytosaysomethinguponthematterforourselves。 Thethesislaiddownbytheanswererbeforefacingthequestioner’sargumentisboundofnecessitytobeonethatiseithergenerallyacceptedorgenerallyrejectedorelseisneither:andmoreoverissoacceptedorrejectedeitherabsolutelyorelsewitharestriction,e。g。bysomegivenperson,bythespeakerorbysomeoneelse。Themanner,however,ofitsacceptanceorrejection,whateveritbe,makesnodifference:fortherightwaytoanswer,i。e。 toadmitortorefusetoadmitwhathasbeenasked,willbethesameineithercase。If,then,thestatementlaiddownbytheanswererbegenerallyrejected,theconclusionaimedatbythequestionerisboundtobeonegenerallyaccepted,whereasiftheformerbegenerallyaccepted,thelatterisgenerallyrejected:fortheconclusionwhichthequestionertriestodrawisalwaystheoppositeofthestatementlaiddown。If,ontheotherhand,whatislaiddownisgenerallyneitherrejectednoraccepted,theconclusionwillbeofthesametypeaswell。Nowsinceamanwhoreasonscorrectlydemonstrateshisproposedconclusionfrompremissesthataremoregenerallyaccepted,andmorefamiliar,itisclearthat(1)wheretheviewlaiddownbyhimisonethatgenerallyisabsolutelyrejected,theanswereroughtnottogranteitherwhatisthusabsolutelynotacceptedatall,orwhatisacceptedindeed,butacceptedlessgenerallythanthequestioner’sconclusion。Forifthestatementlaiddownbytheanswererbegenerallyrejected,theconclusionaimedatbythequestionerwillbeonethatisgenerallyaccepted,sothatthepremissessecuredbythequestionershouldallbeviewsgenerallyaccepted,andmoregenerallyacceptedthanhisproposedconclusion,ifthelessfamiliaristobeinferredthroughthemorefamiliar。 Consequently,ifanyofthequestionsputtohimbenotofthischaracter,theanswerershouldnotgrantthem。(2)If,ontheotherhand,thestatementlaiddownbytheanswererbegenerallyacceptedwithoutqualification,clearlytheconclusionsoughtbythequestionerwillbeonegenerallyrejectedwithoutqualification。Accordingly,theanswerershouldadmitallviewsthataregenerallyacceptedand,ofthosethatarenotgenerallyaccepted,allthatarelessgenerallyrejectedthantheconclusionsoughtbythequestioner。Forthenhewillprobablybethoughttohavearguedsufficientlywell。(3) Likewise,too,ifthestatementlaiddownbytheanswererbeneitherrejectedgenerallynorgenerallyaccepted;forthen,too,anythingthatappearstobetrueshouldbegranted,and,oftheviewsnotgenerallyaccepted,anythataremoregenerallyacceptedthanthequestioner’sconclusion;forinthatcasetheresultwillbethattheargumentswillbemoregenerallyaccepted。If,then,theviewlaiddownbytheanswererbeonethatisgenerallyacceptedorrejectedwithoutqualification,thentheviewsthatareacceptedabsolutelymustbetakenasthestandardofcomparison:whereasiftheviewlaiddownbeonethatisnotgenerallyacceptedorrejected,butonlybytheanswerer,thenthestandardwherebythelattermustjudgewhatisgenerallyacceptedornot,andmustgrantorrefusetograntthepointasked,ishimself。If,again,theanswererbedefendingsomeoneelse’sopinion,thenclearlyitwillbethelatter’sjudgementtowhichhemusthaveregardingrantingordenyingthevariouspoints。Thisiswhythose,too,whointroduceother’sopinions,e。g。that’goodandevilarethesamething,asHeraclitussays,’refusetoadmittheimpossibilityofcontrariesbelongingatthesametimetothesamething;notbecausetheydonotthemselvesbelievethis,butbecauseonHeraclitus’principlesonehastosayso。 Thesamethingisdonealsobythosewhotakeonthedefenceofoneanother’spositions;theiraimbeingtospeakaswouldthemanwhostatedtheposition。 6 Itisclear,then,whattheaimsoftheanswerershouldbe,whetherthepositionhelaysdownbeaviewgenerallyacceptedwithoutqualificationoracceptedbysomedefiniteperson。Noweveryquestionaskedisboundtoinvolvesomeviewthatiseithergenerallyheldorgenerallyrejectedorneither,andisalsoboundtobeeitherrelevanttotheargumentorirrelevant:ifthenitbeaviewgenerallyacceptedandirrelevant,theanswerershouldgrantitandremarkthatitistheacceptedview:ifitbeaviewnotgenerallyacceptedandirrelevant,heshouldgrantitbutaddacommentthatitisnotgenerallyaccepted,inordertoavoidtheappearanceofbeingasimpleton。Ifitberelevantandalsobegenerallyaccepted,heshouldadmitthatitistheviewgenerallyacceptedbutsaythatitliestooclosetotheoriginalproposition,andthatifitbegrantedtheproblemproposedcollapses。Ifwhatisclaimedbythequestionerberelevantbuttoogenerallyrejected,theanswerer,whileadmittingthatifitbegrantedtheconclusionsoughtfollows,shouldyetprotestthatthepropositionistooabsurdtobeadmitted。Suppose,again,itbeaviewthatisneitherrejectedgenerallynorgenerallyaccepted,then,ifitbeirrelevanttotheargument,itmaybegrantedwithoutrestriction;if,however,itberelevant,theanswerershouldaddthecommentthat,ifitbegranted,theoriginalproblemcollapses。Forthentheanswererwillnotbeheldtobepersonallyaccountableforwhathappenstohim,ifhegrantstheseveralpointswithhiseyesopen,andalsothequestionerwillbeabletodrawhisinference,seeingthatallthepremissesthataremoregenerallyacceptedthantheconclusionaregrantedhim。Thosewhotrytodrawaninferencefrompremissesmoregenerallyrejectedthantheconclusionclearlydonotreasoncorrectly:hence,whenmenaskthesethings,theyoughtnottobegranted。 7 Thequestionershouldbemetinalikemanneralsointhecaseoftermsusedobscurely,i。e。inseveralsenses。Fortheanswerer,ifhedoesnotunderstand,isalwayspermittedtosay’Idonotunderstand’:heisnotcompelledtoreply’Yes’or’No’toaquestionwhichmaymeandifferentthings。Clearly,then,inthefirstplace,ifwhatissaidbenotclear,heoughtnottohesitatetosaythathedoesnotunderstandit;foroftenpeopleencountersomedifficultyfromassentingtoquestionsthatarenotclearlyput。Ifheunderstandsthequestionandyetitcoversmanysenses,thensupposingwhatitsaystobeuniversallytrueorfalse,heshouldgiveitanunqualifiedassentordenial:if,ontheotherhand,itbepartlytrueandpartlyfalse,heshouldaddacommentthatitbearsdifferentsenses,andalsothatinoneitistrue,intheotherfalse:forifheleavethisdistinctiontilllater,itbecomesuncertainwhetheroriginallyaswellheperceivedtheambiguityornot。Ifhedoesnotforeseetheambiguity,butassentstothequestionhavinginviewtheonesenseofthewords,then,ifthequestionertakesitintheothersense,heshouldsay,’ThatwasnotwhatIhadinviewwhenI admittedit;Imeanttheothersense’:forifatermorexpressioncoversmorethanonething,itiseasytodisagree。If,however,thequestionisbothclearandsimple,heshouldanswereither’Yes’or’No’。 8 Apremissinreasoningalwayseitherisoneoftheconstituentelementsinthereasoning,orelsegoestoestablishoneofthese: (andyoucanalwaystellwhenitissecuredinordertoestablishsomethingelsebythefactofanumberofsimilarquestionsbeingput: forasarulepeoplesecuretheiruniversalbymeanseitherofinductionoroflikeness):—accordinglytheparticularpropositionsshouldallbeadmitted,iftheyaretrueandgenerallyheld。Ontheotherhand,againsttheuniversaloneshouldtrytobringsomenegativeinstance;fortobringtheargumenttoastandstillwithoutanegativeinstance,eitherrealorapparent,showsill—temper。If,then,amanrefusestogranttheuniversalwhensupportedbymanyinstances,althoughhehasnonegativeinstancetoshow,heobviouslyshowsill—temper。If,moreover,hecannotevenattemptacounter—proofthatitisnottrue,farmorelikelyishetobethoughtill—tempered—althoughevencounter—proofisnotenough:forweoftenhearargumentsthatarecontrarytocommonopinions,whosesolutionisyetdifficult,e。g。theargumentofZenothatitisimpossibletomoveortotraversethestadium;—butstill,thisisnoreasonforomittingtoasserttheoppositesoftheseviews。If,then,amanrefusestoadmitthepropositionwithouthavingeitheranegativeinstanceorsomecounter—argumenttobringagainstit,clearlyheisill—tempered:forill—temperinargumentconsistsinansweringinwaysotherthantheabove,soastowreckthereasoning。 9 Beforemaintainingeitherathesisoradefinitiontheanswerershouldtryhishandatattackingitbyhimself;forclearlyhisbusinessistoopposethosepositionsfromwhichquestionersdemolishwhathehaslaiddown。 Heshouldbewareofmaintainingahypothesisthatisgenerallyrejected:andthisitmaybeintwoways:foritmaybeonewhichresultsinabsurdstatements,e。g。supposeanyoneweretosaythateverythingisinmotionorthatnothingis;andalsothereareallthosewhichonlyabadcharacterwouldchoose,andwhichareimplicitlyopposedtomen’swishes,e。g。thatpleasureisthegood,andthattodoinjusticeisbetterthantosufferit。Forpeoplethenhatehim,supposinghimtomaintainthemnotforthesakeofargumentbutbecausehereallythinksthem。 10 Ofallargumentsthatreasontoafalseconclusiontherightsolutionistodemolishthepointonwhichthefallacythatoccursdepends:forthedemolitionofanyrandompointisnosolution,eventhoughthepointdemolishedbefalse。Fortheargumentmaycontainmanyfalsehoods,e。g。supposesomeonetosecurethepremisses,’Hewhosits,writes’and’Socratesissitting’:forfromtheseitfollowsthat’Socratesiswriting’。Nowwemaydemolishtheproposition’Socratesissitting’,andstillbenonearerasolutionoftheargument;itmaybetruethatthepointclaimedisfalse;butitisnotonthatthatfallacyoftheargumentdepends:forsupposingthatanyoneshouldhappentobesittingandnotwriting,itwouldbeimpossibleinsuchacasetoapplythesamesolution。Accordingly,itisnotthisthatneedstobedemolished,butratherthat’Hewhosits,writes’:forhewhositsdoesnotalwayswrite。He,then,whohasdemolishedthepointonwhichthefallacydepends,hasgiventhesolutionoftheargumentcompletely。Anyonewhoknowsthatitisonsuchandsuchapointthattheargumentdepends,knowsthesolutionofit,justasinthecaseofafigurefalselydrawn。Foritisnotenoughtoobject,evenifthepointdemolishedbeafalsehood,butthereasonofthefallacyshouldalsobeproved:forthenitwouldbeclearwhetherthemanmakeshisobjectionwithhiseyesopenornot。 Therearefourpossiblewaysofpreventingamanfromworkinghisargumenttoaconclusion。Itcanbedoneeitherbydemolishingthepointonwhichthefalsehoodthatcomesaboutdepends,orbystatinganobjectiondirectedagainstthequestioner:foroftenwhenasolutionhasnotasamatteroffactbeenbrought,yetthequestionerisrenderedtherebyunabletopursuetheargumentanyfarther。Thirdly,onemayobjecttothequestionsasked:foritmayhappenthatwhatthequestionerwantsdoesnotfollowfromthequestionshehasaskedbecausehehasaskedthembadly,whereasifsomethingadditionalbegrantedtheconclusioncomesabout。If,then,thequestionerbeunabletopursuehisargumentfarther,theobjectionwouldproperlybedirectedagainstthequestioner;ifhecandoso,thenitwouldbeagainsthisquestions。Thefourthandworstkindofobjectionisthatwhichisdirectedtothetimeallowedfordiscussion:forsomepeoplebringobjectionsofakindwhichwouldtakelongertoanswerthanthelengthofthediscussioninhand。 Therearethen,aswesaid,fourwaysofmakingobjections:butofthemthefirstaloneisasolution:theothersarejusthindrancesandstumbling—blockstopreventtheconclusions。 11 Adversecriticismofanargumentonitsownmerits,andofitwhenpresentedintheformofquestions,aretwodifferentthings。Foroftenthefailuretocarrythroughtheargumentcorrectlyindiscussionisduetothepersonquestioned,becausehewillnotgrantthestepsofwhichacorrectargumentmighthavebeenmadeagainsthisposition:foritisnotinthepoweroftheonesideonlytoeffectproperlyaresultthatdependsonbothalike。 Accordinglyitsometimesbecomesnecessarytoattackthespeakerandnothisposition,whentheanswererliesinwaitforthepointsthatarecontrarytothequestionerandbecomesabusiveaswell:whenpeoplelosetheirtempersinthisway,theirargumentbecomesacontest,notadiscussion。Moreover,sinceargumentsofthiskindareheldnotforthesakeofinstructionbutforpurposesofpracticeandexamination,clearlyonehastoreasonnotonlytotrueconclusions,butalsotofalseones,andnotalwaysthroughtruepremisses,butsometimesthroughfalseaswell。Foroften,whenatruepropositionisputforward,thedialecticianiscompelledtodemolishit:andthenfalsepropositionshavetobeformulated。 Sometimesalsowhenafalsepropositionisputforward,ithastobedemolishedbymeansoffalsepropositions:foritispossibleforagivenmantobelievewhatisnotthefactmorefirmlythanthetruth。Accordingly,iftheargumentbemadetodependonsomethingthatheholds,itwillbeeasiertopersuadeorhelphim。He,however,whowouldrightlyconvertanyonetoadifferentopinionshoulddosoinadialecticalandnotinacontentiousmanner,justasageometricianshouldreasongeometrically,whetherhisconclusionbefalseortrue:whatkindofsyllogismsaredialecticalhasalreadybeensaid。Theprinciplethatamanwhohindersthecommonbusinessisabadpartner,clearlyappliestoanargumentaswell;forinargumentsaswellthereisacommonaiminview,exceptwithmerecontestants,forthesecannotbothreachthesamegoal;formorethanonecannotpossiblywin。Itmakesnodifferencewhetherheeffectsthisasanswererorasquestioner:forbothhewhoaskscontentiousquestionsisabaddialectician,andalsohewhoinansweringfailstogranttheobviousanswerortounderstandthepointofthequestioner’sinquiry。Whathasbeensaid,then,makesitclearthatadversecriticismisnottobepassedinalikestrainupontheargumentonitsownmerits,anduponthequestioner:foritmayverywellbethattheargumentisbad,butthatthequestionerhasarguedwiththeanswererinthebestpossibleway:forwhenmenlosetheirtempers,itmayperhapsbeimpossibletomakeone’sinferencesstraight—forwardlyasonewouldwish:wehavetodoaswecan。 Inasmuchasitisindeterminatewhenpeopleareclaimingtheadmissionofcontrarythings,andwhentheyareclaimingwhatoriginallytheysetouttoprove—foroftenwhentheyaretalkingbythemselvestheysaycontrarythings,andadmitafterwardswhattheyhavepreviouslydenied;forwhichreasontheyoftenassent,whenquestioned,tocontrarythingsandtowhatoriginallyhadtobeproved—theargumentissuretobecomevitiated。Theresponsibility,however,forthisrestswiththeanswerer,becausewhilerefusingtograntotherpoints,hedoesgrantpointsofthatkind。Itis,then,clearthatadversecriticismisnottobepassedinalikemanneruponquestionersandupontheirarguments。 Initselfanargumentisliabletofivekindsofadversecriticism: (1)Thefirstiswhenneithertheproposedconclusionnorindeedanyconclusionatallisdrawnfromthequestionsasked,andwhenmost,ifnotall,ofthepremissesonwhichtheconclusionrestsarefalseorgenerallyrejected,when,moreover,neitheranywithdrawalsnoradditionsnorbothtogethercanbringtheconclusionsabout。 (2)Thesecondis,supposingthereasoning,thoughconstructedfromthepremisses,andinthemanner,describedabove,weretobeirrelevanttotheoriginalposition。 (3)Thethirdis,supposingcertainadditionswouldbringaninferenceaboutbutyettheseadditionsweretobeweakerthanthosethatwereputasquestionsandlessgenerallyheldthantheconclusion。 (4)Again,supposingcertainwithdrawalscouldeffectthesame: forsometimespeoplesecuremorepremissesthanarenecessary,sothatitisnotthroughthemthattheinferencecomesabout。 (5)Moreover,supposethepremissesbelessgenerallyheldandlesscrediblethantheconclusion,orif,thoughtrue,theyrequiremoretroubletoprovethantheproposedview。 Onemustnotclaimthatthereasoningtoaproposedviewshallineverycaseequallybeaviewgenerallyacceptedandconvincing:foritisadirectresultofthenatureofthingsthatsomesubjectsofinquiryshallbeeasierandsomeharder,sothatifamanbringspeopletoaccepthispointfromopinionsthatareasgenerallyreceivedasthecaseadmits,hehasarguedhiscasecorrectly。 Clearly,then,noteventheargumentitselfisopentothesameadversecriticismwhentakeninrelationtotheproposedconclusionandwhentakenbyitself。Forthereisnothingtopreventtheargumentbeingopentoreproachinitself,andyetcommendableinrelationtotheproposedconclusion,oragain,viceversa,beingcommendableinitself,andyetopentoreproachinrelationtotheproposedconclusion,whenevertherearemanypropositionsbothgenerallyheldandalsotruewherebyitcouldeasilybeproved。Itispossiblealsothatanargument,eventhoughbroughttoaconclusion,maysometimesbeworsethanonewhichisnotsoconcluded,wheneverthepremissesoftheformeraresilly,whileitsconclusionisnotso;whereasthelatter,thoughrequiringcertainadditions,requiresonlysuchasaregenerallyheldandtrue,andmoreoverdoesnotrestasanargumentontheseadditions。Withthosewhichbringaboutatrueconclusionbymeansoffalsepremisses,itisnotfairtofindfault:forafalseconclusionmustofnecessityalwaysbereachedfromafalsepremiss,butatrueconclusionmaysometimesbedrawnevenfromfalsepremisses;asisclearfromtheAnalytics。 Wheneverbytheargumentstatedsomethingisdemonstrated,butthatsomethingisotherthanwhatiswantedandhasnobearingwhateverontheconclusion,thennoinferenceastothelattercanbedrawnfromit:andifthereappearstobe,itwillbeasophism,notaproof。Aphilosophemeisademonstrativeinference:anepichiremeisadialecticalinference:asophismisacontentiousinference:anaporemeisaninferencethatreasonsdialecticallytoacontradiction。 Ifsomethingweretobeshownfrompremisses,bothofwhichareviewsgenerallyaccepted,butnotacceptedwithlikeconviction,itmayverywellbethattheconclusionshownissomethingheldmorestronglythaneither。If,ontheotherhand,generalopinionbefortheoneandneitherfornoragainsttheother,orifitbefortheoneandagainsttheother,then,iftheproandconbealikeinthecaseofthepremisses,theywillbealikefortheconclusionalso:if,ontheotherhand,theonepreponderates,theconclusiontoowillfollowsuit。 Itisalsoafaultinreasoningwhenamanshowssomethingthroughalongchainofsteps,whenhemightemployfewerstepsandthosealreadyincludedinhisargument:supposehimtobeshowing(e。g。) thatoneopinionismoreproperlysocalledthananother,andsupposehimtomakehispostulatesasfollows:’x—in—itselfismorefullyxthananythingelse’:’theregenuinelyexistsanobjectofopinioninitself’:therefore’theobject—of—opinion—in—itselfismorefullyanobjectofopinionthantheparticularobjectsofopinion’。 Now’arelativetermismorefullyitselfwhenitscorrelateismorefullyitself’:and’thereexistsagenuineopinion—in—itself,whichwillbe\"opinion\"inamoreaccuratesensethantheparticularopinions’:andithasbeenpostulatedboththat’agenuineopinion—in—itselfexists’,andthat’x—in—itselfismorefullyxthananythingelse’:therefore’thiswillbeopinioninamoreaccuratesense’。Whereinliestheviciousnessofthereasoning?Simplyinthatitconcealsthegroundonwhichtheargumentdepends。 12 Anargumentisclearinone,andthatthemostordinary,sense,ifitbesobroughttoaconclusionastomakenofurtherquestionsnecessary:inanothersense,andthisisthetypemostusuallyadvanced,whenthepropositionssecuredaresuchascompeltheconclusion,andtheargumentisconcludedthroughpremissesthatarethemselvesconclusions:moreover,itissoalsoifsomestepisomittedthatgenerallyisfirmlyaccepted。 Anargumentiscalledfallaciousinfoursenses:(1)whenitappearstobebroughttoaconclusion,andisnotreallyso—whatiscalled’contentious’reasoning:(2)whenitcomestoaconclusionbutnottotheconclusionproposed—whichhappensprincipallyinthecaseofreductionesadimpossibile:(3)whenitcomestotheproposedconclusionbutnotaccordingtothemodeofinquiryappropriatetothecase,ashappenswhenanon—medicalargumentistakentobeamedicalone,oronewhichisnotgeometricalforageometricalargument,oronewhichisnotdialecticalfordialectical,whethertheresultreachedbetrueorfalse:(4)iftheconclusionbereachedthroughfalsepremisses:ofthistypetheconclusionissometimesfalse,sometimestrue:forwhileafalseconclusionisalwaystheresultoffalsepremisses,atrueconclusionmaybedrawnevenfrompremissesthatarenottrue,aswassaidaboveaswell。 Fallacyinargumentisduetoamistakeofthearguerratherthanoftheargument:yetitisnotalwaysthefaultofthearguereither,butonlywhenheisnotawareofit:forweoftenacceptonitsmeritsinpreferencetomanytrueonesanargumentwhichdemolishessometruepropositionifitdoessofrompremissesasfaraspossiblegenerallyaccepted。Foranargumentofthatkinddoesdemonstrateotherthingsthataretrue:foroneofthepremisseslaiddownoughtnevertobethereatall,andthiswillthenbedemonstrated。If,however,atrueconclusionweretobereachedthroughpremissesthatarefalseandutterlychildish,theargumentisworsethanmanyargumentsthatleadtoafalseconclusion,thoughanargumentwhichleadstoafalseconclusionmayalsobeofthistype。Clearlythenthefirstthingtoaskinregardtotheargumentinitselfis,’Hasitaconclusion?’;thesecond,’Istheconclusiontrueorfalse?’;thethird,’Ofwhatkindofpremissesdoesitconsist?’:forifthelatter,thoughfalse,begenerallyaccepted,theargumentisdialectical,whereasif,thoughtrue,theybegenerallyrejected,itisbad:iftheybebothfalseandalsoentirelycontrarytogeneralopinion,clearlyitisbad,eitheraltogetherorelseinrelationtotheparticularmatterinhand。 13 OfthewaysinwhichaquestionermaybegtheoriginalquestionandalsobegcontrariesthetrueaccounthasbeengivenintheAnalytics:’butanaccountonthelevelofgeneralopinionmustbegivennow。 Peopleappeartobegtheiroriginalquestioninfiveways:thefirstandmostobviousbeingifanyonebegstheactualpointrequiringtobeshown:thisiseasilydetectedwhenputinsomanywords;butitismoreapttoescapedetectioninthecaseofdifferentterms,oratermandanexpression,thatmeanthesamething。Asecondwayoccurswheneveranyonebegsuniversallysomethingwhichhehastodemonstrateinaparticularcase:suppose(e。g。)heweretryingtoprovethattheknowledgeofcontrariesisoneandweretoclaimthattheknowledgeofoppositesingeneralisone:forthenheisgenerallythoughttobebegging,alongwithanumberofotherthings,thatwhichheoughttohaveshownbyitself。Athirdwayisifanyoneweretobeginparticularcaseswhatheundertakestoshowuniversally:e。g。 ifheundertooktoshowthattheknowledgeofcontrariesisalwaysone,andbeggeditofcertainpairsofcontraries:forhealsoisgenerallyconsideredtobebeggingindependentlyandbyitselfwhat,togetherwithanumberofotherthings,heoughttohaveshown。Again,amanbegsthequestionifhebegshisconclusionpiecemeal:supposinge。g。thathehadtoshowthatmedicineisascienceofwhatleadstohealthandtodisease,andweretoclaimfirsttheone,thentheother;or,fifthly,ifheweretobegtheoneortheotherofapairofstatementsthatnecessarilyinvolveoneother;e。g。ifhehadtoshowthatthediagonalisincommensurablewiththeside,andweretobegthatthesideisincommensurablewiththediagonal。 Thewaysinwhichpeopleassumecontrariesareequalinnumbertothoseinwhichtheybegtheiroriginalquestion。Foritwouldhappen,firstly,ifanyoneweretobeganoppositeaffirmationandnegation;secondly,ifheweretobegthecontrarytermsofanantithesis,e。g。thatthesamethingisgoodandevil;thirdly,supposeanyoneweretoclaimsomethinguniversallyandthenproceedtobegitscontradictoryinsomeparticularcase,e。g。ifhavingsecuredthattheknowledgeofcontrariesisone,heweretoclaimthattheknowledgeofwhatmakesforhealthorfordiseaseisdifferent; or,fourthly,supposehim,afterpostulatingthelatterview,totrytosecureuniversallythecontradictorystatement。Again,fifthly,supposeamanbegsthecontraryoftheconclusionwhichnecessarilycomesaboutthroughthepremisseslaiddown;andthiswouldhappensuppose,evenwithoutbeggingtheoppositesinsomanywords,heweretobegtwopremissessuchthatthiscontradictorystatementthatisoppositetothefirstconclusionwillfollowfromthem。Thesecuringofcontrariesdiffersfrombeggingtheoriginalquestioninthisway:inthelattercasethemistakeliesinregardtotheconclusion;foritisbyaglanceattheconclusionthatwetellthattheoriginalquestionhasbeenbegged:whereascontraryviewslieinthepremisses,viz。inacertainrelationwhichtheybeartooneanother。 14 Thebestwaytosecuretrainingandpracticeinargumentsofthiskindisinthefirstplacetogetintothehabitofconvertingthearguments。Forinthiswayweshallbebetterequippedfordealingwiththepropositionstated,andafterafewattemptsweshallknowseveralargumentsbyheart。Forby’conversion’ofanargumentismeantthetakingthereverseoftheconclusiontogetherwiththeremainingpropositionsaskedandsodemolishingoneofthosethatwereconceded:foritfollowsnecessarilythatiftheconclusionbeuntrue,someoneofthepremissesisdemolished,seeingthat,givenallthepremisses,theconclusionwasboundtofollow。Always,indealingwithanyproposition,beonthelook—outforalineofargumentbothproandcon:andondiscoveringitatoncesetaboutlookingforthesolutionofit:forinthiswayyouwillsoonfindthatyouhavetrainedyourselfatthesametimeinbothaskingquestionsandansweringthem。Ifwecannotfindanyoneelsetoarguewith,weshouldarguewithourselves。Select,moreover,argumentsrelatingtothesamethesisandrangethemsidebyside:forthisproducesaplentifulsupplyofargumentsforcarryingapointbysheerforce,andinrefutationalsoitisofgreatservice,wheneveroneiswellstockedwithargumentsproandcon:forthenyoufindyourselfonyourguardagainstcontrarystatementstotheoneyouwishtosecure。 Moreover,ascontributingtoknowledgeandtophilosophicwisdomthepowerofdiscerningandholdinginoneviewtheresultsofeitheroftwohypothesesisnomeaninstrument;foritthenonlyremainstomakearightchoiceofoneofthem。Forataskofthiskindacertainnaturalabilityisrequired:infactrealnaturalabilityjustisthepowerrighttochoosethetrueandshunthefalse。Menofnaturalabilitycandothis;forbyarightlikingordislikingforwhateverisproposedtothemtheyrightlyselectwhatisbest。 Itisbesttoknowbyheartargumentsuponthosequestionswhichareofmostfrequentoccurrence,andparticularlyinregardtothosepropositionswhichareultimate:forindiscussingtheseanswerersfrequentlygiveupindespair。Moreover,getagoodstockofdefinitions:andhavethoseoffamiliarandprimaryideasatyourfingers’ends:foritisthroughthesethatreasoningsareeffected。 Youshouldtry,moreover,tomastertheheadsunderwhichotherargumentsmostlytendtofall。Forjustasingeometryitisusefultobepractisedintheelements,andinarithmetictohavethemultiplicationtableuptotenatone’sfingers’ends—andindeeditmakesagreatdifferenceinone’sknowledgeofthemultiplesofothernumberstoo—likewisealsoinargumentsitisagreatadvantagetobewellupinregardtofirstprinciples,andtohaveathoroughknowledgeofpremissesatthetipofone’stongue。Forjustasinapersonwithatrainedmemory,amemoryofthingsthemselvesisimmediatelycausedbythemerementionoftheirloci,sothesehabitstoowillmakeamanreadierinreasoning,becausehehashispremissesclassifiedbeforehismind’seye,eachunderitsnumber。 Itisbettertocommittomemoryapremissofgeneralapplicationthananargument:foritisdifficulttobeevenmoderatelyreadywithafirstprinciple,orhypothesis。 Moreover,youshouldgetintothehabitofturningoneargumentintoseveral,andconcealyourprocedureasdarklyasyoucan:thiskindofeffectisbestproducedbykeepingasfaraspossibleawayfromtopicsakintothesubjectoftheargument。Thiscanbedonewithargumentsthatareentirelyuniversal,e。g。thestatementthat’therecannotbeoneknowledgeofmorethanonething’:forthatisthecasewithbothrelativetermsandcontrariesandco—ordinates。 Recordsofdiscussionsshouldbemadeinauniversalform,eventhoughonehasarguedonlysomeparticularcase:forthiswillenableonetoturnasingleruleintoseveral。AlikeruleappliesinRhetoricaswelltoenthymemes。Foryourself,however,youshouldasfaraspossibleavoiduniversalizingyourreasonings。Youshould,moreover,alwaysexamineargumentstoseewhethertheyrestonprinciplesofgeneralapplication:forallparticularargumentsreallyreasonuniversally,aswell,i。e。aparticulardemonstrationalwayscontainsauniversaldemonstration,becauseitisimpossibletoreasonatallwithoutusinguniversals。 Youshoulddisplayyourtrainingininductivereasoningagainstayoungman,indeductiveagainstanexpert。Youshouldtry,moreover,tosecurefromthoseskilledindeductiontheirpremisses,frominductivereasonerstheirparallelcases;forthisisthethinginwhichtheyarerespectivelytrained。Ingeneral,too,fromyourexercisesinargumentationyoushouldtrytocarryawayeitherasyllogismonsomesubjectorarefutationorapropositionoranobjection,orwhethersomeoneputhisquestionproperlyorimproperly(whetheritwasyourselforsomeoneelse)andthepointwhichmadeittheoneortheother。Forthisiswhatgivesoneability,andthewholeobjectoftrainingistoacquireability,especiallyinregardtopropositionsandobjections。Foritistheskilledpropounderandobjectorwhois,speakinggenerally,adialectician。Toformulateapropositionistoformanumberofthingsintoone—fortheconclusiontowhichtheargumentleadsmustbetakengenerally,asasinglething—whereastoformulateanobjectionistomakeonethingintomany;fortheobjectoreitherdistinguishesordemolishes,partlygranting,partlydenyingthestatementsproposed。 Donotarguewitheveryone,norpractiseuponthemaninthestreet:fortherearesomepeoplewithwhomanyargumentisboundtodegenerate。Foragainstanyonewhoisreadytotryallmeansinordertoseemnottobebeaten,itisindeedfairtotryallmeansofbringingaboutone’sconclusion:butitisnotgoodform。Whereforethebestruleis,notlightlytoengagewithcasualacquaintances,orbadargumentissuretoresult。Foryouseehowinpractisingtogetherpeoplecannotrefrainfromcontentiousargument。 Itisbestalsotohaveready—madeargumentsrelatingtothosequestionsinwhichaverysmallstockwillfurnishuswithargumentsserviceableonaverylargenumberofoccasions。Thesearethosethatareuniversal,andthoseinregardtowhichitisratherdifficulttoproducepointsforourselvesfrommattersofeverydayexperience。