首页 >出版文学> PARMENIDES>第12章

第12章

  Yes,allthings。
  Thenwecannotsupposethatthereisanythingdifferentfromtheminwhichboththeoneandtheothersmightexist?
  Thereisnothing。
  Thentheoneandtheothersareneverinthesame?
  True。
  Thentheyareseparatedfromeachother?
  Yes。
  Andwesurelycannotsaythatwhatistrulyonehasparts?
  Impossible。
  Thentheonewillnotbeintheothersasawhole,noraspart,ifitbeseparatedfromtheothers,andhasnoparts?
  Impossible。
  Thenthereisnowayinwhichtheotherscanpartakeoftheone,iftheydonotpartakeeitherinwholeorinpart?
  Itwouldseemnot。
  Thenthereisnowayinwhichtheothersareone,orhaveinthemselvesanyunity?
  Thereisnot。
  Noraretheothersmany;foriftheyweremany,eachpartofthemwouldbeapartofthewhole;butnowtheothers,notpartakinginanywayoftheone,areneitheronenormany,norwhole,norpart。
  True。
  Thentheothersneitherarenorcontaintwoorthree,ifentirelydeprivedoftheone?
  True。
  Thentheothersareneitherlikenorunliketheone,norislikenessandunlikenessinthem;foriftheywerelikeandunlike,orhadinthemlikenessandunlikeness,theywouldhavetwonaturesinthemoppositetooneanother。
  Thatisclear。
  Butforthatwhichpartakesofnothingtopartakeoftwothingswasheldbyustobeimpossible?
  Impossible。
  Thentheothersareneitherlikenorunlikenorboth,foriftheywerelikeorunliketheywouldpartakeofoneofthosetwonatures,whichwouldbeonething,andiftheywereboththeywouldpartakeofoppositeswhichwouldbetwothings,andthishasbeenshowntobeimpossible。
  True。
  Thereforetheyareneitherthesame,norother,norinmotion,noratrest,norinastateofbecoming,norofbeingdestroyed,norgreater,norless,norequal,norhavetheyexperiencedanythingelseofthesort;for,iftheyarecapableofexperiencinganysuchaffection,theywillparticipateinoneandtwoandthree,andoddandeven,andinthese,ashasbeenproved,theydonotparticipate,seeingthattheyarealtogetherandineverywaydevoidoftheone。
  Verytrue。
  Thereforeifoneis,theoneisallthings,andalsonothing,bothinrelationtoitselfandtootherthings。
  Certainly。
  Well,andoughtwenottoconsidernextwhatwillbetheconsequenceiftheoneisnot?
  Yes;weought。
  Whatisthemeaningofthehypothesis—Iftheoneisnot;isthereanydifferencebetweenthisandthehypothesis—Ifthenotoneisnot?
  Thereisadifference,certainly。
  Isthereadifferenceonly,orratherarenotthetwoexpressions—iftheoneisnot,andifthenotoneisnot,entirelyopposed?
  Theyareentirelyopposed。
  Andsupposeapersontosay:—Ifgreatnessisnot,ifsmallnessisnot,oranythingofthatsort,doeshenotmean,wheneverheusessuchanexpression,that"whatisnot"isotherthanotherthings?
  Tobesure。
  Andsowhenhesays"Ifoneisnot"heclearlymeans,thatwhat"isnot"isotherthanallothers;weknowwhathemeans—dowenot?
  Yes,wedo。
  Whenhesays"one,"hesayssomethingwhichisknown;andsecondlysomethingwhichisotherthanallotherthings;itmakesnodifferencewhetherhepredicateofonebeingornotbeing,forthatwhichissaid"nottobe"isknowntobesomethingallthesame,andisdistinguishedfromotherthings。
  Certainly。
  ThenIwillbeginagain,andask:Ifoneisnot,whataretheconsequences?Inthefirstplace,aswouldappear,thereisaknowledgeofit,ortheverymeaningofthewords,"ifoneisnot,"
  wouldnotbeknown。
  True。
  Secondly,theothersdifferfromit,oritcouldnotbedescribedasdifferentfromtheothers?
  Certainly。
  Difference,then,belongstoitaswellasknowledge;forinspeakingoftheoneasdifferentfromtheothers,wedonotspeakofadifferenceintheothers,butintheone。
  Clearlyso。
  Moreover,theonethatisnotissomethingandpartakesofrelationto"that,"and"this,"and"these,"andthelike,andisanattributeof"this";fortheone,ortheothersthantheone,couldnothavebeenspokenof,norcouldanyattributeorrelativeoftheonethatisnothavebeenorbeenspokenof,norcouldithavebeensaidtobeanything,ifitdidnotpartakeof"some,"oroftheotherrelationsjustnowmentioned。
  True。
  Being,then,cannotbeascribedtotheone,sinceitisnot;buttheonethatisnotmayorrathermustparticipateinmanythings,ifitandnothingelseisnot;if,however,neithertheonenortheonethatisnotissupposednottobe,andwearespeakingofsomethingofadifferentnature,wecanpredicatenothingofit。Butsupposingthattheonethatisnotandnothingelseisnot,thenitmustparticipateinthepredicate"that,"andinmanyothers。
  Certainly。
  Anditwillhaveunlikenessinrelationtotheothers,fortheothersbeingdifferentfromtheonewillbeofadifferentkind。
  Certainly。
  Andarenotthingsofadifferentkindalsootherinkind?
  Ofcourse。
  Andarenotthingsotherinkindunlike?
  Theyareunlike。
  Andiftheyareunliketheone,thatwhichtheyareunlikewillclearlybeunlikethem?
  Clearlyso。
  Thentheonewillhaveunlikenessinrespectofwhichtheothersareunlikeit?
  Thatwouldseemtobetrue。
  Andifunlikenesstootherthingsisattributedtoit,itmusthavelikenesstoitself。
  Howso?
  Iftheonehaveunlikenesstoone,somethingelsemustbemeant;norwillthehypothesisrelatetoone;butitwillrelatetosomethingotherthanone?
  Quiteso。
  Butthatcannotbe。
  No。
  Thentheonemusthavelikenesstoitself?
  Itmust。
  Again,itisnotequaltotheothers;forifitwereequal,thenitwouldatoncebeandbeliketheminvirtueoftheequality;butifonehasnobeing,thenitcanneitherbenorbelike?
  Itcannot。
  Butsinceitisnotequaltotheothers,neithercantheothersbeequaltoit?
  Certainlynot。
  Andthingsthatarenotequalareunequal?
  True。
  Andtheyareunequaltoanunequal?
  Ofcourse。
  Thentheonepartakesofinequality,andinrespectofthistheothersareunequaltoit?
  Verytrue。
  Andinequalityimpliesgreatnessandsmallness?
  Yes。
  Thentheone,ifofsuchanature,hasgreatnessandsmallness?
  Thatappearstobetrue。
  Andgreatnessandsmallnessalwaysstandapart?
  True。
  Thenthereisalwayssomethingbetweenthem?
  Thereis。
  Andcanyouthinkofanythingelsewhichisbetweenthemotherthanequality?
  No,itisequalitywhichliesbetweenthem。
  Thenthatwhichhasgreatnessandsmallnessalsohasequality,whichliesbetweenthem?
  Thatisclear。
  Thentheone,whichisnot,partakes,aswouldappear,ofgreatnessandsmallnessandequality?
  Clearly。
  Further,itmustsurelyinasortpartakeofbeing?
  Howso?
  Itmustbeso,forifnot,thenweshouldnotspeakthetruthinsayingthattheoneisnot。Butifwespeakthetruth,clearlywemustsaywhatis。AmInotright?
  Yes。
  Andsinceweaffirmthatwespeaktruly,wemustalsoaffirmthatwesaywhatis?
  Certainly。
  Then,aswouldappear,theone,whenitisnot,is;forifitwerenottobewhenitisnot,butweretorelinquishsomethingofbeing,soastobecomenot—being,itwouldatoncebe。
  Quitetrue。
  Thentheonewhichisnot,ifitistomaintainitself,musthavethebeingofnot—beingasthebondofnot—being,justasbeingmusthaveasabondthenot—beingofnot—beinginordertoperfectitsownbeing;forthetruestassertionofthebeingofbeingandofthenot—beingofnotbeingiswhenbeingpartakesofthebeingofbeing,andnotofthebeingofnot—being—thatis,theperfectionofbeing;
  andwhennot—beingdoesnotpartakeofthenot—beingofnot—beingbutofthebeingofnot—being—thatistheperfectionofnot—being。
  Mosttrue。
  Sincethenwhatispartakesofnot—being,andwhatisnotofbeing,mustnottheonealsopartakeofbeinginordernottobe?
  Certainly。
  Thentheone,ifitisnot,clearlyhasbeing?
  Clearly。
  Andhasnot—beingalso,ifitisnot?
  Ofcourse。
  Butcananythingwhichisinacertainstatenotbeinthatstatewithoutchanging?
  Impossible。
  Theneverythingwhichisandisnotinacertainstate,implieschange?
  Certainly。
  Andchangeismotion—wemaysaythat?
  Yes,motion。