In 1934 Cohen & Nagel formulated the famous paradox of inference: "If in an inference the conclusion is not contained in the premises, it cannot be valid; and if the conclusion is not different from the premises, it is useless; but the conclusion cannot be contained in the premises and also possess novelty; hence inferences cannot be both valid and useful." This paradox arises because of the tension between (a) the legitimacy (validity) of an inference, and (b) the utility of an inference. One can perhaps reformulate the question posed by the 'paradox': How can logic function as a useful epistemological tool? We formulate two answers to the question posed by the paradox, namely a negative and a positive one, by distinguishing between empi...