1819 Aug. 15 + 7 ult

Fallacies Ch. | | Logical Highfliers

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2. Exposure

' 2. Exposure.

Of a man's being deceived, or of an endeavour on his part to deceive others, or of both these facts together, there can scarcely be a plainer or more conclusive proof /piece of evidence/ than what is afforded by the use of this fallacy, by the use of it either of the above shapes - the laudative or the vituperative

If the individual object or species of objects in question is good, there can be no good use in bestowing land upon any genus within which it is contained, if so it be that in that genus are contained what is bad as well as what is good /bad and good together/: and such it will be seen is the case in all of /each one of/ the above seven instances.

But, for the purpose of obtaining for that which in each such genus is bad that approbation and attachment which by the classification is unmerited, and the bestowing /entertainment/ of which is accordingly an act /a state of things/ prejudicial to the universal interest, that same indiscriminable /undiscriminating/ laudation is not only only/in every case a course/ unquestionably serviceable /conducive/, but in many cases the only one which is so. In so far then as this mischievous property of the instrument in question fails of being perceived by him by whom it is then employed, he is himself deceived /he acts himself under the deception/: in so far as it is perceived by him, he possesses the consciousness that of the course he is taking the endeavour is to deceive others.