It would, of course, be possible to represent the cube on a plane by
means of four squares, as in fig. 54, if we consider each square to
represent merely the beginning of the region it stands for. Thus the
whole cube can be represented by four vertical squares, each standing
for a kind of vertical tray, and the markings would be as shown. In No.
1 the major premiss is in mood A for the whole of the region indicated
by the vertical square of sixteen divisions; in No. 2 it is in the mood
E, and so on.
A creature confined to a plane would have to adopt some such
disjunctive way of representing the whole cube. He would be obliged to
represent that which we see as a whole in separate parts, and each part
would merely represent, would not be, that solid content which we see.
The view of these four squares which the plane creature would have
would not be such as ours. He would not see the interior of the four
squares represented above, but each would be entirely contained within
its outline, the internal boundaries of the separate small squares he
could not see except by removing the outer squares.
We are now ready to introduce the fourth variable involved in the
syllogism.
In assigning letters to denote the terms of the syllogism we have taken
S and P to represent the subject and predicate in the conclusion, and
thus in the conclusion their order is invariable. But in the premisses
we have taken arbitrarily the order all M is P, and all S is M. There
is no reason why M instead of P should not be the predicate of the
major premiss, and so on.
Accordingly we take the order of the terms in the premisses as the
fourth variable. Of this order there are four varieties, and these
varieties are called figures.
Using the order in which the letters are written to denote that the
letter first written is subject, the one written second is predicate,
we have the following possibilities:—
1st Figure. 2nd Figure. 3rd Figure. 4th Figure.
Major M P P M M P P M
Minor S M S M M S M S
There are therefore four possibilities with regard to this fourth
variable as with regard to the premisses.
We have used up our dimensions of space in representing the phases of
the premisses and the conclusion in respect of mood, and to represent
in an analogous manner the variations in figure we require a fourth
dimension.
Now in bringing in this fourth dimension we must make a change in our
origins of measurement analogous to that which we made in passing from
the plane to the solid.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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