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48. There remain those branches of knowledge which pertain not to
the bodily senses, but to the intellect, among which the science of
reasoning and that of number are the chief. The science of reasoning
is of very great service in searching into and unravelling all sorts of
questions that come up in Scripture, only in the use of it we must
guard against the love of wrangling, and the childish vanity of
entrapping an adversary. For there are many of what are called
solphisms, inferences in reasoning that are false, and yet so close an
imitation of the true, as to deceive not only dull people, but clever
men too, when they are not on their guard. For example, one man lays
before another with whom he is talking, the proposition, "What I
am, you are not." The other assents, for the proposition is in part
true, the one man being cunning and the other simple. Then the first
speaker adds: "I am a man;" and when the other has given his assent
to this also, the first draws his conclusion: "Then you are not a
man. "' Now of this sort of ensnaring arguments, Scripture, as I
judge, expresses detestation in that place where it is said, "There
is one that showeth wisdom in words, and is hated;" although,
indeed, a style of speech which is not intended to entrap, but only
aims at verbal ornamentation more than is consistent with seriousness of
purpose, is also called sophistical.
49. There are also valid processes of reasoning which lead to false
conclusions, by following out to its logical consequences the error of
the man with whom one is arguing; and these conclusions are sometimes
drawn by a good and learned man, with the object of making the person
from whose error these consequences result, feel ashamed of them and of
thus leading him to give up his error when he finds that if he wishes to
retain his old opinion, he must of necessity also hold other opinions
which he condemns. For example, the apostle did not draw true
conclusions when he said, "Then is Christ not risen," and again,
"Then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain;" and
further on drew other inferences which are all utterly false; for
Christ has risen, the preaching of those who declared this fact was
not in vain, nor was their faith in vain who had believed it. But all
these false inferences followed legitimately from the opinion of those
who said that there is no resurrection of the dead. These inferences,
then, being repudiated as false, it follows that since they would be
true if the dead rise not, there will be a resurrection of the dead.
As, then, valid conclusions may be drawn not only from true but from
false propositions, the laws of valid reasoning may easily be learnt in
the schools, outside the pale of the Church. But the truth of
propositions must be inquired into in the sacred books of the Church.
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