4
Comparisonsofthingstogethershouldthereforebeconductedinthemannerprescribed。Thesamecommonplacerulesareusefulalsoforshowingthatanythingissimplydesirableorobjectionable：forwehaveonlytosubtracttheexcessofonethingoveranother。Forifwhatismorepreciousbemoredesirable，thenalsowhatispreciousisdesirable；andifwhatismoreusefulbemoredesirable，thenalsowhatisusefulisdesirable。Likewise，also，inthecaseofotherthingswhichadmitofcomparisonsofthatkind。Forinsomecasesintheverycourseofcomparingthethingstogetherweatonceassertalsothateachofthem，ortheoneofthem，isdesirable，e。g。
wheneverwecalltheonegood’bynature’andtheother’notbynature’：fordearlywhatisgoodbynatureisdesirable。
5
Thecommonplacerulesrelatingtocomparativedegreesandamountsoughttobetakeninthemostgeneralpossibleform：forwhensotakentheyarelikelytobeusefulinalargernumberofinstances。Itispossibletorendersomeoftheactualrulesgivenabovemoreuniversalbyaslightalterationoftheexpression，e。g。thatwhatbynatureexhibitssuchandsuchaqualityexhibitsthatqualityinagreaterdegreethanwhatexhibitsitnotbynature。Also，ifonethingdoes，andanotherdoesnot，impartsuchandsuchaqualitytothatwhichpossessesit，ortowhichitbelongs，thenwhicheverdoesimpartitisofthatqualityingreaterdegreethantheonewhichdoesnotimpartit；andifbothimpartit，thenthatoneexhibitsitinagreaterdegreewhichimpartsitinagreaterdegree。