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17 But that the marvellous causes pleasure is shown by the fact that people always tell a piece of news with additions by way of being agreeable.

18 Above all, Homer has taught the others the proper way of telling lies,that is, by using a fallacy. When B is true if A is true, or B happens if A happens, people think that if B is true A must be true or happen. But that is false. Consequently if A be untrue but there be something else, B, which is necessarily true or happens if A is true, the proper thing to do is to posit B, for, knowing B to be true, our mind falsely infers that A is true also. This is an example from the Washing.Odyssey 19. Odysseus tells Penelope that he is a Cretan from Gnossus, who once entertained O. on his voyage to Troy. As evidence, he describes O.’s dress and his companions (Hom. Od. 19.164-260). P. commits the fallacy of inferring the truth of the antecedent from the truth of the consequent: “If his story were true, he would know these details; But he does know them; Therefore his story is true.” The artist in fiction uses the same fallacy, e.g.: “If chessmen could come to life the white knight would be a duffer; But he is a most awful duffer (look at him!); Therefore chessmen can come to life.” He makes his deductions so convincing that we falsely infer the truth of his hypothesis.

19 What is convincing though impossible should always be preferred to what is possible and unconvincing.