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

38
THE NAME, THE TERM, THE CONCEPT,
The result of this discussion is that the general con
clusion of 6 remains unshaken ; every name has both
connotation and denotation. The two kinds of mean
ing belong to every significant term.
9. The subject to which we will now pass is closely
connected with the relation of terms to their concepts
(the subject of the present chapter), and the relation of
the concepts to one another in a judgment (the sub
ject of the two following chapters). What are called
the Laws of Thought have a reference to both these
relations.
The word law is not without ambiguity. Most writers
on Logic have distinguished two chief meanings. In
one sense of the word we speak of Laws of Nature,
which are general statements of what uniformly happens.
A single exception to such a law would make it no
longer a law of Nature. In another sense, a law is a
precept or rule laid down by some authority, an in
junction or command addressed to persons who are
called on to obey it but have it in their power to dis
obey. This use of the term is exemplified in such
phrases as "law of the land,"
"law of conscience." The
authority remains independently of its violation by in
dividuals. When speaking of a Law of Thought, we
use the term mainly in this second sense. Men con
stantly fall into errors and confusions in their thinking,
and so
the laws of thought, although as a
"
"
disobey
rule they do not do so consciously or deliberately.
The Laws of Logic, then, set up a standard to be fol
lowed. They may be compared with the laws of Grammar
as regards correct speaking and writing. The science
of Ethics also endeavours to formulate a standard, con
sisting of laws of right conduct which are far from being
constantly recognised in life. Hence Logic has been