Those who cultivate common sense will never fall into this error, for
they will have no difficulty in convincing themselves that by acting thus
they do not deceive any one except themselves.

By glossing over truth in order to weaken the logical consequences of
deductions they are the first to be the victims of this childish trick.

That which is called false deduction is rarely aught save the desire to
escape a resolution which a just appraisement would not fail to dictate.

It might be, also, that this twisting of judgment comes from a person
having been, in some past time, subjected to unfortunate influences.

By devoting oneself to the evolution of thought, of which we have already
spoken when presenting the symbolical fan, and above all, by adopting the
precepts which, following the method of Yoritomo, we are going to develop
in the following lessons, we shall certainly succeed in checking the
errors of false reasoning.

"The important thing," said he, "is not to let wander the thought, which,
after resting for a moment on the subject with which we are concerned and
after touching lightly on ideas of a similar character, begins to stray
very far from its basic principles.

"Have you noted the flight of certain birds?

"They commence by gathering at one point, then they describe a series of
circles around this point, at first very small, but whose circumference
enlarges at every sweep.