MEANINGS OF GENERAL TERMS. 81 



possess a greater ' extension ' of meaning than a singular 

 or individual one, because it includes a greater number of 

 objects ; and a singular term is said to have a greater ' in- 

 tension ' of meaning, because it includes a larger number 

 of marks. For instance, the term c element ' has a fuller 

 extension of meaning than the term ' metal,' because it 

 includes not only the whole of the metals, but also other 

 elements ; but it has less intension of meaning, because a 

 metal has all the properties of an element, besides some 

 others which show it to be a metal. In a series of terms, 

 arranged in order from the most singular to the most 

 general, usually the two kinds of meaning vary inversely, 

 i.e. the meaning in intension decreases as that in extension 

 increases. Usually the greater the number of qualities, 

 the less the number of individuals ; therefore, the one being 

 given, the other can be inferred. 



General terms and ideas are obscure, and difficult to 

 conceive, because the existences they represent are of an 

 abstruse character, and can only excite a conscious degree 

 of mental action by means of the intellect ; singular ones 

 are more easy to apprehend, because the objects they in- 

 dicate act more directly and strongly upon our senses and 

 mental powers. General terms and ideas may also be said 

 to have greater profundity of meaning, whilst individual 

 ones are more full of superficial and easily perceived 

 detail. 



General terms and ideas embrace a greater amount of 

 knowledge than individual and singular ones ; and when 

 they are formed into propositions, a larger amount of 

 knowledge can be extracted from them by means of analysis 

 and inference. They also require more study in order to 

 enable us to understand them. To apprehend the mean- 

 ing of the word ' metal,' we must, to some extent, know 

 the essential and abstruse qualities of metallic substances ; 



