It is possible to hold the view that
life is a synonymous term and is always used to describe one thing
only, and therefore to render the definition in this way on purpose:
or it may quite well happen that a man may see the ambiguous character
of the word, and wish to render the definition of the one sense
only, and yet fail to see that he has rendered a definition common
to both senses instead of one peculiar to the sense he intends. In
either case, whichever course he pursues, he is equally at fault.
Since ambiguous terms sometimes pass unobserved, it is best in
questioning to treat such terms as though they were synonymous (for
the definition of the one sense will not apply to the other, so that
the answerer will be generally thought not to have defined it
correctly, for to a synonymous term the definition should apply in its
full range), whereas in answering you should yourself distinguish
between the senses. Further, as some answerers call 'ambiguous' what
is really synonymous, whenever the definition rendered fails to
apply universally, and, vice versa, call synonymous what is really
ambiguous supposing their definition applies to both senses of the
term, one should secure a preliminary admission on such points, or
else prove beforehand that so-and-so is ambiguous or synonymous, as
the case may be: for people are more ready to agree when they do not
foresee what the consequence will be.
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