An introductory text-book of logic - Mellone, Sydney - Rare Books at ...

THE PROBLEMS WHICH WE HAVE RAISED. 351
in scientific reasoning; for what we called the "com
plete scientific method," the Method of Explanation,
necessarily includes both (ch. IX. 10). In the pres
ent work we have not limited the meaning of Induction
to that kind of reasoning where we start with facts given
together and have to find their real connecting prin
ciple ; we have identified the theory of Induction with
the theory of Scientific Method, and have said that
Induction
"
includes Deduction."
In many passages in Mill s Logic
we find Induction
treated as in the present work as the theory of
Scientific Method.
Stated in its most general terms, Induction (according
to one line of thought in Mill) is the discovery and proof
of it
"general propositions":
is "that operation of the
mind by which we infer that what we know to be true in a
particular case or cases will be true in all cases which
resemble the former in
other words, Induction
"
certain assignable In
respects."
is the process by which we con
clude that what is true of certain individuals of a class
is true of the whole class, or that what is true at certain
"
times will be true in similar circumstances at all times
(111. ii. i). This evidently rests on the assumption of the
"uniformity of "
nature," which may be treated as the ultim
ate major premise of all inductions" (III. iii.
i). In say
ing this, Mill evidently conceived that a case of Induction
could be expressed as a syllogism thus
The same cause (or group of causes) will the same effect.
always produce
The causes ABCD have been observed to have the effect
E.
Therefore the causes ABCD will always have the effect
E.
Hence "a single instance, in some cases, is sufficient for a
complete induction" (III. iii. 3) i.e., when the investiga
tion of the single instance has been so thorough that we can
be sure of having grasped all the
ABCD and of E being their effect.
relevant circumstances
Carrying on the same