Page:Aristotle (Grant).djvu/86

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76
ARISTOTLE'S’ ‘FALLACIES.’

tion,” and the rest to be supplied by Whewell and Mill. But with regard to this, it must be observed that he treats of the doctrine of Fallacies as supplementary, not to the Logic of Science, but to Dialectic. All through the ‘Sophistical Confutations’ we have a background of Hellenic disputation,—the questioner and the answerer are hotly engaged, and the bystanders keenly interested,—Aristotle in analysing fallacy is primarily contributing artistic rules for the conduct of the game. The local and temporary object has passed away, and much of the original importance of the book has accordingly been lost; but the distinctions which were here for the first time drawn out have passed over into Logic, and have doubtless contributed somewhat to clear up the thought and language of Europe.