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Title: Logic, Inductive and Deductive

Author: William Minto

Release Date: March 27, 2010 [EBook #31796]

Language: English

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UNIVERSITY MANUALS

EDITED BY PROFESSOR KNIGHT

LOGIC

INDUCTIVE AND DEDUCTIVE

PUBLISHED MAY, 1893
_Reprinted December, 1893_
" _November, 1894_
" _January, 1899_
" _August, 1904_
" _June, 1909_
" _September, 1912_
" _July, 1913_
" _January, 1915_

LOGIC

INDUCTIVE AND DEDUCTIVE

BY WILLIAM MINTO, M.A.
HON. LL.D. ST. ANDREWS
LATE PROFESSOR OF LOGIC IN THE UNIVERSITY OF ABERDEEN

LONDON
JOHN MURRAY, ALBEMARLE STREET, W.
1915

PREFACE.

In this little treatise two things are attempted that at first might
appear incompatible. One of them is to put the study of logical
formulae on a historical basis. Strangely enough, the scientific
evolution of logical forms, is a bit of history that still awaits the
zeal and genius of some great scholar. I have neither ambition nor
qualification for such a _magnum opus_, and my life is already more
than half spent; but the gap in evolutionary research is so obvious
that doubtless some younger man is now at work in the field unknown to
me. All that I can hope to do is to act as a humble pioneer according
to my imperfect lights. Even the little I have done represents work
begun more than twenty years ago, and continuously pursued for the
last twelve years during a considerable portion of my time.

The other aim, which might at first appear inconsistent with this,
is to increase the power of Logic as a practical discipline. The main
purpose of this practical science, or scientific art, is conceived to
be the organisation of reason against error, and error in its various
kinds is made the basis of the division of the subject. To carry out
this practical aim along with the hist