150 Measurement of Belief. [CHAP. vi. 



7000 in case the office declared that it would only pay in 

 the event of my dying on a Sunday. I, indeed, for my own 

 private part, might not find the arrangement an equitable 

 one; but mankind at large, in case they acted on such a 

 principle, might fairly commute their aggregate gains in such 

 a way, whilst to the Insurance Office it would not make any 

 difference at all. 



26. The results of the last few sections might be sum 

 marised as follows : the different amounts of belief which 

 we entertain upon different events, and which are recognized 

 by various phrases in common use, have undoubtedly some 

 meaning. But the greater part of their meaning, and cer 

 tainly their only justification, are to be sought in the series 

 of corresponding events to which they belong ; in regard to 

 which it may be shewn that far more events are capable of 

 being referred to a series than might be supposed at first 

 sight. The test and justification of belief are to be found in 

 conduct ; in this test applied to the series as a whole, there 

 is nothing peculiar, it differs in no way from the similar test 

 when we are acting on our belief about any single event. 

 But so applied, from the nature of the case it is applied 

 successively to each of the individuals of the series ; here our 

 conduct generally admits of being separately considered in 

 reference to each particular event ; and this has been under 

 stood to denote a certain amount of belief which should be a 

 fraction of certainty. Probably on the principles of associa 

 tion, a peculiar condition of mind is produced in reference to 

 each single event. And these associations are not unnaturally 

 retained even when we contemplate any one of these single 

 events isolated from any series to which it belongs. When 

 it is found alone we treat it, and feel towards it, as we do 

 when it is in company with the rest of the series. 



27. We may now see, more clearly than we could 



