Preface, Section 1, Footnote #01
A qualification to Whately's denial
In the later editions of Archbishop Whately's Logic, he states his meaning to be, not that ``rules'' for the ascertainment of truths by inductive investigation cannot be laid down, or that they may not be ``of eminent service'', but that they ``must always be comparatively vague and general, and incapable of being built up into a regular demonstrative theory like that of the syllogism''. (Book iv. ch. iv. § 3.) And he observes, that to devise a system for this purpose, capable of being ``brought into a scientific form'', would be an achievement which ``he must be more sanguine than scientific who expects''. (Book iv. ch. ii. § 4.) To effect this, however, being the express object of the portion of the present work which treats of induction, the words in the text are no overstatement of the difference of opinion between Archbishop Whately and me on the subject.