Part 2 (1/2)
”A friend ofclass in geography Glancing at the book, she said: 'Suppose you should dig a hole in the ground, hundreds of feet deep, how should you find it at the botto, the teacher said: 'I'm sure they know, but I think you don't ask the question quite rightly Letthe book, she asked: 'In what condition is the interior of the globe?' and received the immediate answer frolobe is in a condition of igneous fusion!'”
Perhaps itwould only occur in an eleraduates, and indeedmore often than we realize, even in subjects like y,” ”e,”
”period of vibration,” ”value,” ”social justice,” etc, are often used without a clear understanding, and so at all, of what they mean
(_a_) THE STUDENT SHOULD ACQUIRE AND INSIST UPON EXERCISING THE HABIT OF FORMING DEFINITE IDEAS--This is one of the most important injunctions to be observed as an essential principle of intelligent study[1] It is self-evident that facts or things cannot be reasoned about intelligently unless a definite idea is forueness of idea not alone precludes a proper conception of the thing itself, butit The student must resolutely make up his mind that he must not rest satisfied with hazy, uncertain, half-for enerally found that it is the other half that is needed If the student could learn this one precept and continually apply it, he would have little difficulty in studying properly
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It is not easy to state just how the habit of for definite ideas may be acquired To a certain extent it is intuitive Some students have it, while others do not; some can cultivate it, while others apparently cannot It is probably safe to say, however, that a student who cannot cultivate it should not study books, or enter into a profession, but should go to ith his hands instead of taking a college course Such a man will be always likely to be misled, his conclusions can never be depended upon, and e terood
A definite idea is one that leaves no roo The habit of for such ideas habitually may be cultivated in several ways, as for instance:
1 STUDY THE DICTIONARY--By study of the dictionary, the studentbetords, and habitually to use precisely the ith the proper e of the derivation of words will often assist, and such books as Archbishop Trench's on ”The Study of Words,”
or a course in English coood teacher, accompanied by exercises in expression, will all contribute to {26} the formation of the habit[2] Soive little assistance, for it may be found that one ter up that other, it will be found to be defined by means of the first Soiven in terms even more difficult to understand than the one which is defined There are differences in dictionaries The study of language, and particularly of the classics, if properly pursued,{27} froe into another, and should includethe precise word or phrase to express an idea The reason why a study of the classics es, is that in studying the latter the object is more often considered--by the student at least--to becoe, or to get a s which will be of use in travel or in business; while in the study of the classics these objects are entirely absent, and the attention isdelicate shades ofdepends upon the teacher and the way the subject is taught[3]
2 The habit of for definite ideasto define a certain nuood a definition as possible co the result with that in the dictionary If the student will practise this, he will at first receive many surprises, for any word o, but only one of which is a true definition For instance, a cow ed animal, but this, while correct, obviously does not define a cow, for the same definition would apply to many other animals that are not cows What constitutes a definition?
This subject is clearly allied with the discussion of the question as to what constitutes perfect knowledge; what eleo to
According to Liebnitz, perfect knowledge is clear, distinct, adequate, and intuitive The student will do well to look up the discussion of this subject in Jevon's ”Eleic” (Lesson VII)
The i definite ideas, as an essential of proper study, and of understanding what is read, cannot be exaggerated
Without it one cannot acquire e, and one is always liable to those errors of reasoning which arise froe, whichof a word to another--a logical error which is perhaps the
3 STUDY LOGIC--Logic is the science of correct reasoning It teaches us how to discover truth, how to recognize it when discovered, how to arrive at general laws from facts collected by {29} observation or experiment, and how to deduce new facts from those already found to be true It is thus the science of sciences, and finds its application in every branch of knowledge The training of his power of logical thought is, therefore, one of the things that should be constantly ai is concerned, first of all, with _ters or qualities or conceptions of sos, and the discovery of their identity or dissimilarity, as when I say ”Iron is a metal” or ”all metals are elements,” each of which statements is a _proposition_, the truth or falsity of which Inew propositions fro at new truths, as when I discover from the two propositions stated above, the new truth that ”Iron is an element”
But there are ht say:
”To call you an aniree; and, ”To call you an ass would be to call you an aniht conclude that, ”To call you an ass would {30} be to state the truth”--which you ue idea was not true If you wish to be sure that this conclusion is incorrect, you must be able to show just why it is incorrect The study of logic would enable you to see just where the error lies You ue ideas, or you will be intellectually at anybody's ical study of _teruished, and the i inof a teruous, as already explained, and s, as for instance the terms ”bill,” ”church,” ”evil,” ”value,” ”social justice” Here, then, the importance of definite ideas will be icaland prove everything” In other words, do not attempt to think about a term until you have defined the ter every state it finally and definitely; although for want of tied sometimes to accept or form a conclusion tentatively or provisionally You may be able to draw correct conclusions froh you do not understand the terms of the premises For instance, if I say, ”Selenium is a dyad ele two equivalents of hydrogen,” I can correctly draw the conclusion that, ”Seleniuen,” but I cannot know that the conclusion is correct unless I understand theof the terms in the premises and so can be sure of the correctness of those premises
Every student should, therefore, in the writer's opinion, take a systeic, or carefully study by hiic” or John Stuart Mill's ”Logic”[4]
(_b_) LEARN TO STATE A THING IN DIFFERENT WAYS OR FROM DIFFERENT POINTS OF VIEW--Al may be looked at from different points of view, or a truth stated in different ways, {32} and it may appear very different fro this, first stating a principle perhaps from the mathee that can be understood by one who is not aeven technical e should be practised continually
As Bishop Berkeley urged, we should ”think with the learned and speak with the vulgar” If you clearly understand a proposition, you can state it in clear and unalish Students frequently say ”I understand that, but I cannot explain it” Such a student deceives hihly, he can explain it clearly and without auity, and so that others will understand hiet the mental measure of a man after a fewwill surely show itself in speech
(_c_) STATE A THING NOT ONLY POSITIVELY BUT NEGATIVELY--That is to say, state not only what it is, but what it is not, even if incompletely Perceive not only what it includes, but what it excludes When a result or a {33} principle is arrived at, it is essential not only to see that it is true, but how far the _reverse_ is _untrue_ The student does not really understand a thing unless he recognizes it from any point of view, can describe it froe to suit the particular e is untrue As Aristotle says:
”We must not only state the truth, but the cause of the untrue statement; this is an element in our belief; for when it is made apparent why a statement not true appears to be true, our belief in the truth is confirmed”
In other words, we must analyze every state, or a stateht against it, and then convince ourselves where the truth lies and why The lawyer has excellent practice in doing this, for in ed to scrutinize it closely to discover what objections he would make to it, if he were the counsel on the opposite side The lawyer, however, does not always limit himself to the discovery of the truth, but often seeks to discover and bring to bear unsound but plausible arguments to refute the other side; and by his skill in dialectics he may often deliberately ”make the worse appear {34} the better reason” The student of ain in that studyobjections to an arguid and not open to question Professor Pal book, ”The Problem of Freedom,” says: ”Until we understand the objection to any line of thought, we do not understand that thought; nor can we feel the full force of such objections until we have theed upon us by one who believes them” This is precisely what the advocate endeavors to do beforehand, and in the court rooht urged upon him and the jury by one who at all events _appears_ to believe them