is true of _every_ relational property" is false, though I admit that
what we here assert of P is true of _some_ relational properties.
Those of which it is true, I propose to call _internal_ relational
properties, those of which it is false _external_ relational
properties. The dogma of internal relations, on the other hand, implies
that (2) is true; that is to say, that _every_ relational property is
_internal_ and that there are no _external_ relational properties. And
what I suggest is that the dogma of internal relations has been held
only because (2) has been falsely thought to follow from (1).
And that (2) does not follow from (1), can, I think, be easily seen as
follows. It can follow from (1) only if from any proposition of the form
_p_ entails (_q_ * _r_)
there follows the corresponding proposition of the form
_p_ * (_q_ entails _r_),
And that this is not the case can, I think, be easily seen by
considering the following three propositions. Let _p_ = "All the books
on this shelf are blue," let _q_ = "My copy of the _Principles of
Mathematics_ is a book on this shelf," and let _r_ = "My copy of the
_Principles of Mathematics_ is blue." Now _p_ here does absolutely
_entail_ (_q * r_). That is to say, it absolutely follows from _p_
that "My copy of the _Principles_ is on this shelf," and "My copy of
the _Principles_ is _not_ blue," are not, as a matter of fact, both
true. But it by no means follows from this that _p_ * (_q_ entails
_r_). For what this latter proposition means is "It is not the case
both that _p_ is true and that (_q_ entails _r_) is false." And, as a
matter of fact, (_q_ entails _r_) is quite certainly false; for from
the proposition "My copy of the _Principles_ is on this shelf" the
proposition "My copy of the _Principles_ is blue" does _not_ follow. It
is simply not the case that the second of these two propositions can be
deduced from the first _by itself:_ it is simply not the case that it
stands to it in the relation in which it does stand to the conjunctive
proposition "All the books on this shelf are blue _and,_ my copy of the
_Principles_ is on this shelf." This conjunctive proposition really
does _entail_ "My copy of the _Principles_ is blue." But "My copy of
the _Principles_ is on this shelf," _by itself_ quite certainly does
not entail "My copy of the Principles is blue." It is simply not the
case that my copy of the Principles _couldn't_ have been on this shelf
without being blue, (_q_ entails _r_) is, therefore, false. And hence
"_p_ * (_q_ entails _r_)," can only follow from "_p_ entails (_q_ *
_r_)," if from this latter proposition °_p_° follows. But _p_ quite
certainly does not follow from this proposition: from the fact that (_q
* r_) is deducible from _p_, it does not in the least follow that °_p_°
is true. It is, therefore, clearly not the case that every proposition
of the form
_p_ entails (_q * r_)
entails the corresponding proposition of the form
_p_ * {_q_ entails _r_},
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