Full Idea
Concerning what you might hypothesise as being or as not being, or having any other property, you must examine the consequences in relation to itself and each one of the others. …All this you must do if you are to achieve a full view of the truth.
Gist of Idea
To find the truth about the being of something, you must study all of its consequences
Source
Plato (Parmenides [c.366 BCE], 136b-c)
A Reaction
This shows that Plato was keenly interested in how to study the natural world, as well the world of ideas and pure reason. This is a good first step in an account of scientific reasoning.
Book Reference
Plato: 'Parmenides', ed/tr. Gill,M.L./Ryan,P. [Hackett 1996], p.140