Common Sense, How to Exercise It by Mme. Blanchard Yoritomo-Tashi
page 97 of 151 (64%)
page 97 of 151 (64%)
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edifice of common sense.
"Concerning the calculations of probabilities, the application of approximation will allow us to estimate the capacity or the probable duration of things. "We can not say positively whether a man will live a definite number of years but we can affirm that he will never live until he is two hundred. "There are, for approbation, certain known limits which serve as a basis for the construction of reasoning, inspired by common sense. "It can be affirmed, in a positive way, that, if the trunk of a tree were floating easily, without sinking to the bottom of the water, it would not float the same if thirty men were to ride astride of it. "The initial weight of the tree permits it to maintain itself on the surface; but if it be increased to an exaggerated total, we can, without hesitation, calculate indirectly the moment when it will disappear, dragging with it the imprudent men who trusted themselves to it. "Everything in life is a question of approximation. "The house which is built for a man will be far larger than the kennel, destined to shelter a dog, because the proportions have been calculated, by approximation, according to the relative difference between the stature of the human and canine species. "Clothing is also suited to the temperature. |
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