comparatives - What do "the more" and "the less" modify in "The more our knowledge of things is certain and particular, the less it is possible for us to feign"?


The following is an excerpt from The Young Spinoza: A Metaphysician in the Making.



(1) The more our knowledge of things is certain and particular, the less it is possible for us to feign;



What do the more and the less modify in this sentence?


I thought the more modified is and the less modified feign. But



  • (2) As our knowledge of things is certain and particular more, so it is possible for us to feign less.


sounds strange.


Is it possible that the more modifies certain and particular and the less modifies possible?


Then, the sentence can be paraphrased as



  • (3) The more certain and particular our knowledge is, the less possible it is for us to feign.


But, (3) is not the same as (1) grammatically. Or is it?




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