Stratagem 6
Original German
Man macht eine versteckte petitio principii, indem man das was man zu beweisen hätte postulirt, entweder 1) unter einem andern Namen, z. B. statt Ehre guter Name, statt Jungfrauschaft Tugend u. s. w., auch Wechselbegriffe: — rothblütige Thiere, statt Wirbelthiere, 2) oder was im Einzelnen streitig ist, im Allgemeinen sich geben läßt, z. B. die Unsicherheit der Medicin behauptet, die Unsicherheit alles menschlichen Wissens postulirt: 3) Wenn vice versa zwei auseinander folgen, das eine zu beweisen ist, man postulirt das andre: 4) Wenn das Allgemeine zu beweisen und man jedes einzelne sich zugeben läßt. (Das umgekehrte von No. 2.) (Arist. Top. VIII, c. 11.)
Ueber die Uebung zur Dialektik enthält gute Regeln das letzte Kapitel der Topica des Aristoteles.
Musean translation
Machine-assisted, directly from Deussen’s German edition (1923).
Make a concealed begging of the question by postulating what ought to be proved: 1) under another name—for example, good name instead of honor, virtue instead of virginity, and so forth; also interchangeable concepts, such as red-blooded animals instead of vertebrates. 2) Obtain a general concession of what is disputed in the particular case: for example, when the uncertainty of medicine is asserted, postulate the uncertainty of all human knowledge. 3) When, conversely, two things follow from one another and one must be proved, postulate the other. 4) When the general proposition must be proved, obtain concessions of each particular instance—the reverse of number 2. (Arist. Top. VIII, c. 11.)
The last chapter of Aristotle's Topica contains good rules for practice in dialectic.
Plain English translation
Machine-assisted, independently translated directly from Deussen’s German edition (1923).
Secretly assume what you should be proving, begging the question: 1) give it another name, such as good reputation instead of honor, or virtue instead of virginity. You can also use terms treated as interchangeable, such as red-blooded animals instead of vertebrates. 2) Get a general concession of what is disputed in a particular case. For example, when claiming that medicine is uncertain, assume that all human knowledge is uncertain. 3) When two statements imply each other and you need to prove one, assume the other. 4) When you need to prove the general claim, get each particular case accepted. This reverses number 2. (Arist. Top. VIII, c. 11.)
The final chapter of Aristotle's Topica gives useful rules for practicing dialectic.
About this section
Stratagem 6 is part of The Art of Being Right by Arthur Schopenhauer. This page sets the German original beside 2 direct-source translations, so any line can be checked against the source. It is section 11 of 43 in the work, which is kept in the European tradition.
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