We have thus, as regards the opposition of
positive and negative, three different sorts of duality, according as we are dealing with facts, image-propositions, or word-propositions.
Be
positive scientists, if you please; but ontology has no place in
positive science, so leave it alone.
Esmeralda was
positive that it was none other than an angel of the Lord, sent down especially to watch over them.
"I miss something," he himself confesses, "common worship, a
positive religion, shared with other people.
Had they attempted to enumerate the particular powers or means not necessary or proper for carrying the general powers into execution, the task would have been no less chimerical; and would have been liable to this further objection, that every defect in the enumeration would have been equivalent to a
positive grant of authority.
The boat at last became so nearly free of the retarding mud and of the bank that Jane felt
positive that she could pole it off into deeper water with one of the paddles which lay in the bottom of the rude craft.
The most to be expected from the generality of men, in such a situation, is the negative merit of not doing harm, instead of the
positive merit of doing good.
The name of Willoughby, John Willoughby, frequently repeated, first caught my attention; and what followed was a
positive assertion that every thing was now finally settled respecting his marriage with Miss Grey--it was no longer to be a secret--it would take place even within a few weeks, with many particulars of preparations and other matters.
But, at the same time, they made it a
positive condition of her continuing in their employment that she should never permit you to visit her at their house, or to meet her and walk out with her when she was in attendance on the children.
Pumblechook was very
positive and drove his own chaise-cart - over everybody - it was agreed that it must be so.
I shall now inquire into a free state and show what it is; and we shall the better understand its
positive nature as we have already described an oligarchy and a democracy; for a free state is indeed nothing more than a mixture of them, and it has been usual to call those which incline most to a democracy, a free state; those which incline most to an oligarchy, an aristocracy, because those who are rich are generally men of family and education; besides, they enjoy those things which others are often guilty of crimes to procure: for which reason they are regarded as men of worth and honour and note.
There's no denying that Raskolnikov had compromised himself seriously, but no /facts/ had come to light as yet; there was nothing
positive. But was he taking a true view of the position?