PROPOSITIONS. 



55 



not at all imply that of the simple 

 propositions which compose it. An 

 example of this is, when the simple 

 propositions are connected by the 

 particle or ; as, either A is B or C is 

 D ; or by the particle if ; as, A is B 

 if C is D. In the former case, the 

 proposition is called disjunctive, in the 

 latter, conditional: the name hypo- 

 thetical was originally common to 

 both. As has been well remarked by 

 Archbishop Whately and others, the 

 disjunctive form is resolvable into the 

 conditional ; every disjunctive pro- 

 position being equivalent to two or 

 more conditional ones. " Either A is 

 B or C is D," means, " if A is not B, 

 C is D ; and if C is not D, A is B." 

 A-11 hypothetical propositions, there- 

 fore, though disjunctive in form, are 

 conditional in meaning ; and the 

 words hypothetical and conditional 

 may be, as indeed they generally are, 

 used synonymously. Propositions in 

 which the assertion is not dependent 

 on a condition, are said, in the lan- 

 guage of logicians, to be categorical. 



An hypothetical proposition is not, 

 like the pretended complex proposi- 

 tions which we previously considered, 

 a niere aggregation of simple proposi- 

 tions. The simple propositions which 

 form part of the words in which it is 

 couched, form no part of the assertion 

 which it conveys. When we say. If 

 the Koran comes from God, Mahomet 

 is the prophet of God, we do not in- 

 tend to affirm either that the Koran 

 does come from God, or that Mahomet 

 is really His prophet. Neither of 

 these simple propositions may be true, 

 and yet the truth of the hypotheti- 

 cal proposition may be indisputable. 

 What is asserted is not the truth of 

 either of the propositions, but the 

 inferribility of the one from the other. 

 What, then, is the subject, and what 

 the predicate of the hypothetical pro- 

 position ? " The Koran " is not the 

 subject of it, nor is "Mahomet: " for 

 nothing is affirmed or denied either of 

 the Koran or of Mahomet. The real 

 subject of the predication is the entire 

 proposition, *' Mahomet is the prophet 



of God ; " and the affirmation is, that 

 this is a legitimate inference from the 

 proposition, *' the Koran comes from 

 God." The subject and predicate, 

 therefore, of an hypothetical proposi- 

 tion are names of propositions. The 

 Bvibject is some one proposition. The 

 predicate is a general relative name 

 applicable to propositions of this form 

 — "an inference from so and so." A 

 fresh instance is here afforded of the 

 remark, that particles are abbrevia- 

 tions ; since " /f A is B, C is D," is 

 found to be an abbreviation of the 

 following : " The proposition C is D, 

 is a legitimate inference from the 

 proposition A is B." 



The distinction, therefore, between 

 hypothetical and categorical proposi- 

 tions, is not so great as it at first 

 appears. In the conditional, as well 

 as in the categorical form, one predi- 

 cate is aflBrmed of one subject, and no 

 more : but a conditional proposition 

 is a proposition concerning a proposi- 

 tion ; the subject of the assertion is 

 itself an assertion. Nor is this a 

 property peculiar to hypothetical pro- 

 positions. There are other classes of 

 assertions concerning propositions. 

 Like other things, a proposition has 

 attributes which may be predicated 

 of it. The attribute predicated of it 

 in an hypothetical proposition, is that 

 of being an inference from a certain 

 other proposition. But this is only 

 one of many attributes that might be 

 predicated. We may say. That the 

 whole is greater than its part, is an 

 axiom in mathematics : That the 

 Holy Ghost proceeds from the Father 

 alone, is a tenet of the Greek Church : 

 The doctrine of the divine right of 

 kings was renounced by Parliament 

 at the Revolution : The infallibility 

 of the Pope has no countenance from 

 Scripture. In all these cases the 

 subject of the predication is an entire 

 proposition. That which these differ- 

 ent predicates are affirmed of is the 

 proposition, "the whole is greater 

 than its part ; " the proposition, "the 

 Holy Ghost proceeds from the Father 

 alone ; " the proposition, kings have a 



