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I call the basic truths of every genus those clements in it the
existence of which cannot be proved. |
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Of the basic truths used in the demonstrative sciences some are
peculiar to each science, and some are common, but common only in
the sense of analogous, being of use only in so far as they fall
within the genus constituting the province of the science in
question. |
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Peculiar truths are, e.g. the definitions of line and straight; |
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That which expresses necessary self-grounded fact, and
which we must
necessarily believe, is distinct both from the hypotheses of
a science
and from illegitimate postulate - I say 'must believe', because all
syllogism, and therefore a fortiori demonstration, is
addressed not to
the spoken word, but to the discourse within the soul, and though we
can always raise objections to the spoken word, to the inward
discourse we cannot always object. |
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The definition - viz. those which are not expressed as
statements that
anything is or is not - are not hypotheses: |
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