LOGIC. 
again. Thus, upon the probability that bo- 
dies will continue to fell to the ground ; 
that violent motion will be follovred by 
heat ; that similar induceinents or motives 
will be followed by similar acts in men ; we 
found the doctrine of cause and effect, and 
establish our knowledge of physical and 
moral history, so as to give credit to the 
past, and confidence in many respects to 
the future. 
It is evident that analogical propositions 
have much less certainty than those of in, 
tuition or demonstration. 
Though in our investigations of truth we 
must necessarily have recourse to observa- 
tions of individual objects and events, as the 
ground- work of all ; yet in our inductions, 
reasonings, proofs, and processes of instruc- 
tion, we proceed from generals to indivi- 
duals. And, as in strict demonstration tlie 
subject and predicate of a proposition are 
connected by a train of axioms, — so in every 
other argumentation it will be the endea- 
vour of a wise man to follow the same course 
as nearly as may be possible. But, from the 
confusion arising from the relations of the 
complicated objects of social intercourse, 
and from the rapidity of language with its 
abridgements and transpositions, so many 
things are left to be understood — that it is 
not often an easy task to show, whether the 
reasoner does really pursue the course of 
pure argumentation, or whether he deceives 
himself or others. Logicians have therefore 
adopted a formal arrangement for each of 
the steps of comparison which they call a 
syllogis.m ; not calculated indeed for the 
discovery of remote truths from the use 
and application of the more immediate or 
intuitive, but well calculated to give regula- 
rity to the mind by scientific discipline, and 
to shorten controversy by a clear detection 
of the component parts of false reasoning. 
And here, by the way, it may be remarked 
that the inexplicable disorder of the logical 
reasonings of the middle ages is less to be 
attributed to the nature of their science of 
reasoning, loaded as it was with needless 
distinctions, than to tlieir theological and 
psychological dogmas, and the delusions into 
which tliey wandered with regard to the 
objects called transcendental ; delusions 
which a sound and bold application of their 
own science, if it could have been dared, 
would not have confirmed, but Overthrown. 
But to return ; the syllogism consists of 
three propositions. In the first, called the 
major proposition, something is predicated 
of a genera! subject : in the second, called 
the minor, the subject of the major becomes 
the predicate of a specific subject ; and iii 
the third, called the conclusion, the predi- 
cate of the general subject is applied to the 
specific, Thus, 
Major. All men are fallible. 
Minor. The Pope is a man ; 
Conclusion. Therefore the Pope is fal- 
lible. 
The major and minor terms are often 
called the premises, and the minor is some- 
times called the argument. The premises 
are supposed to be intuitive, or at least in- 
contestable, and the conclusion is establish- 
ed upon the axiom, that whatever can be 
predicated or affirmed of a genus, may also 
be predicated of every species comprehend- 
ed under it ; and the like of species, and 
the individuals comprehended under them. 
It is usual to denominate the two sub- 
jects, and the predicate, terms of the syllo- 
gism. The generic word or sentence is 
called the middle term ; its predicate is the 
major term ; and the specific word or sen- 
tence is called the minor term. Thim, in 
the preceding syllogism the three terms are 
Major term. Fallible. 
Middle term. All men, 
Minor term. The Pope, 
Here it is not pretended, that all men 
should upon every occasion reason accord- 
ing to the rules of logic, any more than that 
a writer should upon all occasions insert 
each individual member of a sentence, and 
leave nothing to be supplied or understood. 
But as the man who is a sound grammarian 
can analyse and parse every member of a 
sentence, and will write with order, preci- 
sion, and correctness ; so will the logician, who 
is able to arrange the parts of an argument 
in mood and figure, be quick in discerning 
the imperfect, defective, or inadmissible as- 
sertions, and will so dispose his own notions 
and principles, that his proofs shall be con- 
clusive and clear. The works even of ma- 
thematical writers would, in many in- 
stances, be benefited by this severity of 
conduct ; and there are few indeed which 
might not be rendered more perfect by 
strict logical examination and correction. 
Mood and figure are words applied by lo- 
gical writers to denote the arrangement of 
the terms of a syllogism. It is done by the 
use of the letters A, E, I, O, of whieh A 
denotes universal affirmative ; E, universal 
negative ; I, particular affirmative ; and O, 
particular negative. But as it would be 
difficult to retain in the memory the various 
