shown from what, paralogisms arise, and have sufficiently exposed impostures in interrogation. It is not the same thing however assuming an argument to see and to solve its futility, and to be able quickly to oppose an interrogator, for what we know we are often ignorant of, when it is transposed. Moreover, as in other things, the quicker and the slower increase by exercise, so is it also with arguments; hence, if a thing is evident to us, but we have not meditated upon it, we are frequently deficient in it on certain occasions. Sometimes indeed it happens as in diagrams, for having analyzed them, we sometimes are unable to reconstruct them; thus also in elenchi, knowing the cause of the connexion of the argument, we are unable to dissolve the argument.
Chapter 17
First then, as we say, we ought sometimes to prefer to syllogize probably, rather than truly, thus also we must solve sometimes rather probably than according to truth, for in short, we must contend with contentious men, not as if they were confuting, but as appearing to do so, since we do not say that they conclude syllogistically, so that we must direct ourselves to their not appearing. For if an elenchus is a
