92

1918 Nov. 19
Logic I.11

in some case had mad but vague reports, I thought, therefore, that it might be that what my inductive theory required in some exceptional case might be clearly negatived by memory of the facts, which would at once refute the theory; and therefore, as my object was to ascertain the very truth of the matter, I tried to think of a case which, according to the induction, ought to present some exceptional features.
With this in view I determined to study out what the theory would requre in case of a problem whose solution should involve some great novelty; for I had a vague inkling that the requirement of the theory in that case would be exceptional.
What I looked forward to as possible was that the facts might have no such exceptional character as the theory would require, and would thus refute the latter.
I began by considering the case of a scientific man