JB/096/051/002

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SECT. I. Law in general. 2

A Definition should be composed of terms that
[The terms employed in a Definition should] have a meaning
Definition - proper-
ties it should have.
in the mind of him who uses them; that meaning should be such
as may be made visible to those whom they are addressed to: it
should be more simpleeasy to apprehend on it's conception than that of the term
they are made use of to define to be defined: it should be the same at one time as at ano-
-ther: it should be true of one as well as another of the things cha-
racterized by the terms to be defined: it should be such as may con
tribute to distinguish the things defined from other things they
may be in danger of being considered with. I

In short if we may be allowed to say what it ought not to be: it ought
not to be unmeaning,uninstructive dark, ambiguous, fluctuating, ,
or uncharacteristic. I am in great doubt how this description
of a good definition will tally with our Author's.

The first thing we are told of Law is, that it is a rule of action
Rule of Action The
expression uninstruc
-tive, dark & uncharac
teristic.
This is what may be very true. But what we are the wiser for it,
or how it, or how it can serve to distinguish Law from any thing
it is in danger of being confounded with is rather more than I
can conceive. The signification of the world "rule" is so loose
and vague that it is still more difficult to fix the import of it
than that of the term Law: and the entire expression a rule
of action, as soon as it appears to express any thing, appears to
express what is rather an accidental attribute of any Law, than

Sect. I Law in General 22

Identifier: | JB/096/051/002"JB/" can not be assigned to a declared number type with value 96.
Date_1		Marginal Summary Numbering	not numbered
Box	096	Main Headings	comment on the commentaries
Folio number	051	Info in main headings field	sect. i law in general
Image	002	Titles	note
Category	copy/fair copy sheet	Number of Pages	4
Recto/Verso	recto	Page Numbering	f1 / f2 / f3 / f4
Penner		Watermarks	[[watermarks::gr [crown motif] [lion with crown motif]]]
Marginals		Paper Producer
Corrections	jeremy bentham	Paper Produced in Year
Notes public		ID Number	31055
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