33* THE SCIENCE OF LOGIC 



ously argues in the Republic) that because the thief also displays 

 skill in this direction the just man must be a thief. The 

 metaphorical use of language is an unfailing source of such 

 sophisms. The relations of the mother-country to its colonies, of 

 the head, or heart, of the body to the metropolis of a country, of 

 the governor of a state to the pilot of a ship, of the political 

 community or society to the individual organism are all cases 

 in point (234). Within due limits they may yield legitimate infer 

 ences ; but they become fallacious if the analogy be pressed too 

 far. In all cases, differences must be noted and weighed no less 

 than resemblances. Finally, it must be remembered that mere 

 analogy as such never amounts to proof &quot;. 



(c) ILLICIT GENERALIZATION. The tendency to generalize 

 from insufficient data, is perhaps the principal pitfall of the un 

 scientific mind. The &quot;man in the street&quot; is fond of making 

 &quot; sweeping statements &quot;. The general assertion is always simple 

 and brief. It brings a feeling of rest and satisfaction ; and so, 

 the plain man is inclined to take refuge in it prematurely. But 

 the failing is not peculiar to him. The many causes which 

 account for undue haste in assenting to conclusions impatience 

 or indolence in the laborious work of inductive research, the 

 habit of a priori reasoning, the influence of prejudice, conscious 

 and unconscious, insufficient knowledge and equipment for accu 

 rate investigation, etc. all these are constantly working mischief 

 in every domain of science. 



The great leaders of science are, indeed, seldom betrayed into 

 going beyond their premisses. Hazardous, sensational prophecies 

 in the name of science, have no attraction for their prudent and 

 well-trained minds. But the smaller and narrower type of mind 

 is itself misled, and misleads others. The work of popularizing 

 science, i.e. true science, of spreading truth among the masses, is 

 unquestionably a most praiseworthy work. But there are many 

 half-educated camp-followers of science, who, actuated by less 

 laudable motives, are constantly popularizing travesties of science ; 

 who misrepresent its conclusions ; who palm off false and im 

 probable hypotheses on unsuspecting people as established 

 truths ; who are attracted less by what is true than by what is 

 sensational ; who are influenced less by the scientific spirit of 

 impartial inquiry than by their own likes and dislikes ; to whom 

 the laborious search after truth is a less congenial task than that 

 of attacking whatever is opposed to their own preconceived 



