568 LOGIC OF THE MORAL SCIENCES. 



proper theorem for the circumstances of any given 

 case. It does not give us the laws of society in 

 general, but the means of determining the phenomena 

 of any given society from the particular elements or 

 ^clata of that society. 



All the general propositions of the deductive 

 science are therefore, in the strictest sense of the 

 word, hypothetical. They are grounded on some 

 supposititious set of circumstances, and declare how 

 some given cause will operate in those circumstances, 

 supposing that no others are combined with them. 

 If the set of circumstances supposed have been taken 

 from those of any existing society, the conclusions 

 will be true of that society, provided, and in as far as, 

 the effect of those circumstances shall not be modified 

 by others which have not been taken into the account. 

 If we desire a nearer approach to concrete truth, we 

 can only aim at it by taking, or endeavouring to take, 

 a greater number of individualising circumstances into 

 the computation. 



Considering, however, in how accelerating a ratio 

 the uncertainty of our conclusions increases, as we 

 attempt to take the effect of a greater number of con- 

 current causes into our calculations ; the hypothetical 

 combinations of circumstances upon which we con- 

 struct the general theorems of the science, cannot be 

 made very complex, without so rapidly accumulating a 

 liability to error as must soon deprive our, conclusions 

 of all value. This mode of inquiry, considered as a 

 means of obtaining general propositions,, must there- 

 fore, on pain of entire frivolity, be limited to those 

 classes of social facts which, though influenced like 

 the rest by all sociological agents, are under the imme- 

 diate influence, principally at least, of a few only. 



