Page:Russell - The Problems of Philosophy, 1912.djvu/129

Rh (This is obvious, because if all men are mortal, so is Socrates; but if Socrates is mortal, it does not follow that all men are mortal.) Hence we shall reach the conclusion that Socrates is mortal with a greater approach to certainty if we make our argument purely inductive than if we go by way of "all men are mortal" and then use deduction.

This illustrates the difference between general propositions known a priori, such as "two and two are four," and empirical generalisations such as "all men are mortal." In regard to the former, deduction is the right mode of argument, whereas in regard to the latter, induction is always theoretically preferable, and warrants a greater confidence in the truth of our conclusion, because all empirical generalisations are more uncertain than the instances of them.

We have now seen that there are propositions known a priori, and that among them are the propositions of logic and pure mathematics, as well as the fundamental propositions of ethics. The question which must next occupy us is this: How is it possible that there