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Single Idea 12997

[from 'New Essays on Human Understanding' by Gottfried Leibniz, in 1. Philosophy / F. Analytic Philosophy / 1. Nature of Analysis ]

Full Idea

The art of finding intermediate terms (the 'middle term') is the art of 'analysis'.

Clarification

The middle term is the linking concept in a syllogism

Gist of Idea

Analysis is the art of finding the middle term

Source

Gottfried Leibniz (New Essays on Human Understanding [1704], 4.02)

Book Reference

Leibniz,Gottfried: 'New Essays on Human Understanding', ed/tr. Remnant/Bennett [CUP 1996], p.369


A Reaction

This proposal is straight out of Aristotle's 'Posterior Analytics'. Nowadays we would say there was much more to analysis, the finding of necessary and sufficient conditions being the most obvious way of putting it.