24

1908 Nov 2
Logic
8

I do not believe we can settle them unless we settle some
other points first. I mentioned the phenomena of self-control as among
the most familiar items of common knowledge. When a boy reaches
the age at which the need of his exercising a far more vigorous,
better plan schemed, and better organized government over himself
strikes every intelligent boy as urgent, he will reflect, if he has any
capacity for reflexion, that, considering how often he has already
found himself mistaken, in spite of his never having seriously
made a business of finding out all his errors, it must almost
inevitably be that many of the opinions that he still holds are erroneous,
though he does not know which opinions those are; and it
would be absurd to suppose he should. There they must be, however;
and he will be statisfied, if he has as much of the philosopher in him as