3

1908 Oct 28
Logic
8

there is "is more or less extreme," etc.; and secondly, you
will admit that if you fix your attention upon anything of which
any predicate is untrue, of that one or other of each and every pair of
mutually contradictory predicates will be untrue. But those
two truisms, you will perceive (unless you are too this sort of
discussion is too unfamiliar to you, in which case the next chapter
will render what I say it obvious,) involve the consequence that of whatever
there can anyway be imagined of which any pair of mutually
contradictory predicates are both truth, all possible predicates are
true. Now if you have ever studied the elements of geometry,
you will probably recall an operation called the a "reductio ad
absurdum," where by absurdum is meant anything of which
a pair of contradictory predicates would both be true. We

1908 Oct 28
Logic
8

there is "is more or less extreme," etc.; and secondly, you
will admit that if you fix your attention upon anything of which
any predicate is untrue, of that one or other of each and every pair of
mutually contradictory predicates will be untrue. But those
two truisms, you will perceive (unless you are too this sort of
discussion is too unfamiliar to you, in which case the next chapter
will render what I say it obvious,) involve the consequence that of whatever
there can anyway be imagined of which any pair of mutually
contradictory predicates are both truth, all possible predicates are
true. Now if you have ever studied the elements of geometry,
you will probably recall an operation called the a "reductio ad
absurdum," where by absurdum is meant anything of which
a pair of contradictory predicates would both be true. We