| Description | Correspondence with John Laird [1887-1946, philosopher].
/1 Letter from John Laird to Oliver Lodge, written from Powis Lodge, Old Aberdeen, dated 15 October 1927. Laird writes about affirmatives and negatives in logic. He argues against the suggestion that effective denial requires superhuman knowledge. He comments on whether certain affirmatives are easier to establish than certain negatives.
/2 Copy of letter from Oliver Lodge to John Laird, dated 18 October 1927. Lodge writes about proving affirmatives and negatives, stating: 'For myself I think that all major premises, whether thrown into the positive or the negative form, are of the nature of a postulate, and cannot be used to controvert any direct evidence to the contrary'. He writes that scientists are cautious about making assertions but often make denials without sufficient grounds. |