THE TEACHING OF LOGIC. 149 



a course in minor logic constructed along the following lines will, 

 to my mind, render the best educational service: Definition and classi- 

 fication, with special emphasis upon use as determining the meaning of 

 terms. The interpretation of propositions and the relation between 

 form and meaning, with much stress laid upon the complexity of 

 actual thinking rather than upon categories, predicables and symbols. 

 The study of the syllogism as a form to which arguments may be re- 

 duced for the purpose of critical analysis. Training in ability to 

 examine the validity of premises and their application to particular 

 cases. And finally, the study of inductive methods with the view of 

 familiarizing students with the actual ways by which knowledge is 

 discovered. 



All this means that logic is essentially a psychological rather than 

 a philosophical study; that its content is mental phenomena, because 

 the study of methods is but the study of the human mind engaged in 

 the search of truth; that induction and deduction are in reality two 

 constantly interplaying processes and are never found to be what the 

 time-honored division of text-books suggests. Discussions of contro- 

 versial topics, in which logicians delight, and from which no text-book, 

 so far as I know, is wholly free, should be excluded. They have little 

 interest for most students and besides obscuring the real content of 

 minor logic, are likely to produce the impression that logic lacks 

 definiteness and substantial basis. It is much better to hand over 

 speculative questions to philosophy proper. Enough will be left for the 

 course in logic in the time usually allotted it. What Professor Hyslop 

 has said is eminently true : " Logic has been made too formal for 

 usefulness and postponed too late in the course. It ought to follow 

 mathematics immediately, to correct the confidence in reasoning that 

 that science inculcates consciously or unconsciously."* 



A word, in closing, upon a possible criticism of that part of logic 

 which treats of inductive method. Why study logic in order to be- 

 come familiar with the methods of science? Why not go directly to 

 the several sciences themselves? 



" We sometimes can not see the wood for the trees ; and lose the 

 broad outlines in the multiplicity of details." Just as we need to 

 get out from among the trees to look at the wood; to stand some dis- 

 tance from the building to get a full view of it, so the scientist must 

 needs view the structure of scientific knowledge from outside his 

 own special field. 



It is a frequent experience that students become so engaged in the 

 multiplicity of fascinating phenomena of one science, or charmed by 



* The Psychological Review, 1903, p. 180. Sidgwick's 'Use of Words in 

 Reasoning,' and Aikins' ' The Principles of Logic,' show an encouraging tendency 

 away from the traditional treatment of logic. 



