We do not intend here to give all the examples of 'crooked thinking'

that Thoules includes in his book; we will only add one or two more, without

attempting to comment upon them:

Making a statement in which 'all' is implied, but some is true.

Proof by selected instances, and by inconsequent arguments.

The appeal to mere authority.

The use of generally accepted 'tabloids' of thought.

Argument by imperfect and by forced analogy.

This is but a selection from a list of thirty -four dishonest or

fallacious types of argument.  The last, dealing with analogy, is of great

We should like to remind the reader of an obvious but important fact.

The mere possession of a chart of physical exercises is not of any service to

its owner unless he puts them into practice.  In the same way, the mere fact

that fallacies in argument have been tabulated and illustrated in these pages

will not be of much use to the reader unless he personally puts this

knowledge into practice.  He should therefore study articles both from the

newspaper, and from current literature (including subjects in this Analysis)

with a view to detecting any of the fallacies which have been enumerated in

this series.

After we have traversed the subject of logic and its place in the

search for truth, after we have realized the fact that definitions,

propositions, syllogisms, etc., are all important, we nevertheless shrink

from the idea of never speaking, writing or reasoning except along the formal

lines of pure logic.  Such would be impracticable and most wearisome, and as

a matter of fact has not and never will be practised.  The guiding principle

of life, said Bishop Butler, is 'probability'.  It is not mathematically

certain nor absolutely sure that the sun will rise tomorrow, yet who is there

that does not act as though it were a certainty?  When we start on a railway

journey, we do not, and we cannot, stay to inquire whether the signalmen are

on duty, the driver experienced, the railway authority faithful to its

contracts, or that the station to which we travel actually exists.

Probability is so allied to human experience as to amount to moral certainty.

When we come to the investigation of spiritual things, there is no

other means of imparting knowledge, or of discovering truth, than by

probability.  The scientist cannot see God through telescope or microscope,

but the very existence of a scientist is the surest proof that a greater

intelligence than his own exists.  In the Book of Wisdom 13:5 we read:

'For by the greatness and beauty of things created, the Maker of them

is judged of proportionably'.

Now this word 'proportionably' is analogos in the original, and the

word analogia is found in Romans 12:6 in the phrase 'the proportion of

faith'.  In its primary sense and use, analogy belongs to mathematics, and

indicates the equality of ratios, which we usually speak of as proportion,

and use the formula: As A:B; C:D (as A is to B, so C is to D).  In

mathematics there is no room for 'probability'.  There is no possibility of

doubt that: As 3 is to 4, so 6 is to 8, or 9 is to 12.