discovery of truths.}

As to these general maxims, therefore, they are, as I have said, of
great use in disputes, to stop the mouths of wranglers; but not of much
use to the discovery of unknown truths, or to help the mind forwards in
its search after knowledge. For who ever began to build his knowledge on
this general proposition, WHAT IS, IS; or, IT IS IMPOSSIBLE FOR THE SAME
THING TO BE AND NOT TO BE: and from either of these, as from a principle
of science, deduced a system of useful knowledge? Wrong opinions often
involving contradictions, one of these maxims, as a touchstone, may
serve well to show whither they lead. But yet, however fit to lay open
the absurdity or mistake of a man's reasoning or opinion, they are of
very little use for enlightening the understanding: and it will not be
found that the mind receives much help from them in its progress in
knowledge; which would be neither less, nor less certain, were these two
general propositions never thought on. It is true, as I have said, they
sometimes serve in argumentation to stop a wrangler's mouth, by showing
the absurdity of what he saith, [and by exposing him to the shame of
contradicting what all the world knows, and he himself cannot but own to
be true.] But it is one thing to show a man that he is in an error, and
another to put him in possession of truth, and I would fain know what
truths these two propositions are able to teach, and by their influence
make us know which we did not know before, or could not know without
them. Let us reason from them as well as we can, they are only about
identical predications, and influence, if any at all, none but such.
Each particular proposition concerning identity or diversity is as
clearly and certainly known in itself, if attended to, as either of
these general ones: [only these general ones, as serving in all cases,
are therefore more inculcated and insisted on.] As to other less general
maxims, many of them are no more than bare verbal propositions, and
teach us nothing but the respect and import of names one to another.
'The whole is equal to all its parts:' what real truth, I beseech you,
does it teach us? What more is contained in that maxim, than what the
signification of the word TOTUM, or the WHOLE, does of itself import?
And he that knows that the WORD whole stands for what is made up of all
its parts, knows very little less than that the whole is equal to all
its parts. And, upon the same ground, I th