Butweshallsayinanswertothisargumentalsothatwhile
thereissomejustificationfortheirthinkingthatthechanging,when
itischanging,doesnotexist,yetitisafteralldisputable;for
thatwhichislosingaqualityhassomethingofthatwhichisbeing
lost,andofthatwhichiscomingtobe,somethingmustalreadybe。
Andingeneralifathingisperishing,willbepresentsomethingthat
exists;andifathingiscomingtobe,theremustbesomethingfrom
whichitcomestobeandsomethingbywhichitisgenerated,and
thisprocesscannotgoonadinfinitum-But,leavingthese
arguments,letusinsistonthis,thatitisnotthesamethingto
changeinquantityandinquality。Grantthatinquantityathingis
notconstant;stillitisinrespectofitsformthatweknoweach
thing-Andagain,itwouldbefairtocriticizethosewhoholdthis
viewforassertingaboutthewholematerialuniversewhattheysaw
onlyinaminorityevenofsensiblethings。Foronlythatregionof
thesensibleworldwhichimmediatelysurroundsusisalwaysinprocess
ofdestructionandgeneration;butthisis-sotospeak-notevena
fractionofthewhole,sothatitwouldhavebeenjustertoacquit
thispartoftheworldbecauseoftheotherpart,thantocondemn
theotherbecauseofthis-Andagain,obviouslyweshallmaketo
themalsothesamereplythatwemadelongago;wemustshowthem
andpersuadethemthatthereissomethingwhosenatureis
changeless。Indeed,thosewhosaythatthingsatthesametimeareand
arenot,shouldinconsequencesaythatallthingsareatrest
ratherthanthattheyareinmovement;forthereisnothingintowhich
theycanchange,sinceallattributesbelongalreadytoallsubjects。
Regardingthenatureoftruth,wemustmaintainthatnot
everythingwhichappearsistrue;firstly,becauseevenif
sensation-atleastoftheobjectpeculiartothesensein
question-isnotfalse,stillappearanceisnotthesameas
sensation-Again,itisfairtoexpresssurpriseatouropponents’
raisingthequestionwhethermagnitudesareasgreat,andcolours
areofsuchanature,astheyappeartopeopleatadistance,oras
theyappeartothosecloseathand,andwhethertheyaresuchas
theyappeartothehealthyortothesick,andwhetherthosethings
areheavywhichappearsototheweakorthosewhichappearsoto
thestrong,andthosethingstruewhichappeartothesleeingorto
thewaking。Forobviouslytheydonotthinkthesetobeopen
questions;noone,atleast,ifwhenheisinLibyahehasfanciedone
nightthatheisinAthens,startsfortheconcerthall-Andagain
withregardtothefuture,asPlatosays,surelytheopinionofthe
physicianandthatoftheignorantmanarenotequallyweighty,for
instance,onthequestionwhetheramanwillgetwellornot-And
again,amongsensationsthemselvesthesensationofaforeignobject
andthatoftheappropriateobject,orthatofakindredobjectand
thatoftheobjectofthesenseinquestion,arenotequally
authoritative,butinthecaseofcoloursight,nottaste,hasthe
authority,andinthecaseofflavourtaste,notsight;eachof
whichsensesneversaysatthesametimeofthesameobjectthatit
simultaneouslyis’soandnotso’-Butnotevenatdifferenttimes
doesonesensedisagreeaboutthequality,butonlyaboutthatto
whichthequalitybelongs。Imean,forinstance,thatthesamewine
mightseem,ifeitheritorone’sbodychanged,atonetimesweet
andatanothertimenotsweet;butatleastthesweet,suchasitis
whenitexists,hasneveryetchanged,butoneisalwaysrightabout
it,andthatwhichistobesweetisofnecessityofsuchandsucha
nature。Yetalltheseviewsdestroythisnecessity,leavingnothingto
beofnecessity,astheyleavenoessenceofanything;forthe
necessarycannotbeinthiswayandalsointhat,sothatif
anythingisofnecessity,itwillnotbe’bothsoandnotso’。
And,ingeneral,ifonlythesensibleexists,therewouldbe
nothingifanimatethingswerenot;fortherewouldbenofacultyof
sense。Nowtheviewthatneitherthesensiblequalitiesnorthe
sensationswouldexistisdoubtlesstruefortheyareaffectionsof
theperceiver,butthatthesubstratawhichcausethesensation
shouldnotexistevenapartfromsensationisimpossible。For
sensationissurelynotthesensationofitself,butthereis
somethingbeyondthesensation,whichmustbepriortothe
sensation;forthatwhichmovesispriorinnaturetothatwhichis
moved,andiftheyarecorrelativeterms,thisisnolessthecase。
Thereare,bothamongthosewhohavetheseconvictionsandamong
thosewhomerelyprofesstheseviews,somewhoraiseadifficultyby
asking,whoistobethejudgeofthehealthyman,andingeneral
whoislikelytojudgerightlyoneachclassofquestions。Butsuch
inquiriesarelikepuzzlingoverthequestionwhetherwearenow
asleeporawake。Andallsuchquestionshavethesamemeaning。These
peopledemandthatareasonshallbegivenforeverything;forthey
seekastarting-point,andtheyseektogetthisbydemonstration,whileitisobviousfromtheiractionsthattheyhavenoconviction。
Buttheirmistakeiswhatwehavestatedittobe;theyseeka
reasonforthingsforwhichnoreasoncanbegiven;forthe
starting-pointofdemonstrationisnotdemonstration。
These,then,mightbeeasilypersuadedofthistruth,foritis
notdifficulttograsp;butthosewhoseekmerelycompulsionin
argumentseekwhatisimpossible;fortheydemandtobeallowedto
contradictthemselves-aclaimwhichcontradictsitselffromthevery
first-Butifnotallthingsarerelative,butsomeareself-existent,
noteverythingthatappearswillbetrue;forthatwhichappearsis
apparenttosomeone;sothathewhosaysallthingsthatappearare
true,makesallthingsrelative。And,therefore,thosewhoaskfor
anirresistibleargument,andatthesametimedemandtobecalled
toaccountfortheirviews,mustguardthemselvesbysayingthatthe
truthisnotthatwhatappearsexists,butthatwhatappearsexists
forhimtowhomitappears,andwhen,andtothesensetowhich,and
undertheconditionsunderwhichitappears。Andiftheygivean
accountoftheirview,butdonotgiveitinthisway,theywill
soonfindthemselvescontradictingthemselves。Foritispossiblethat
thesamethingmayappeartobehoneytothesight,butnottothe
taste,andthat,sincewehavetwoeyes,thingsmaynotappearthe
sametoeach,iftheirsightisunlike。Fortothosewhoforthe
reasonsnamedsometimeagosaythatwhatappearsistrue,and
thereforethatallthingsarealikefalseandtrue,forthingsdo
notappeareitherthesametoallmenoralwaysthesametothesame
man,butoftenhavecontraryappearancesatthesametimefortouch
saystherearetwoobjectswhenwecrossourfingers,whilesightsays
thereisone-totheseweshallsay’yes,butnottothesamesense
andinthesamepartofitandunderthesameconditionsandatthe
sametime’,sothatwhatappearswillbewiththesequalifications
true。Butperhapsforthisreasonthosewhoarguethusnotbecause
theyfeeladifficultybutforthesakeofargument,shouldsaythat
thisisnottrue,buttrueforthisman。Andashasbeensaid
before,theymustmakeeverythingrelative-relativetoopinionand
perception,sothatnothingeitherhascometobeorwillbewithout
someone’sfirstthinkingso。Butifthingshavecometobeorwill
be,evidentlynotallthingswillberelativetoopinion-Again,if
athingisone,itisinrelationtoonethingortoadefinitenumber
ofthings;andifthesamethingisbothhalfandequal,itisnot
tothedoublethattheequaliscorrelative。If,then,inrelation
tothatwhichthinks,manandthatwhichisthoughtarethesame,
manwillnotbethatwhichthinks,butonlythatwhichisthought。And
ifeachthingistoberelativetothatwhichthinks,thatwhich
thinkswillberelativetoaninfinityofspecificallydifferent
things。
Letthis,then,sufficetoshow1thatthemostindisputable
ofallbeliefsisthatcontradictorystatementsarenotatthesame
timetrue,and2whatconsequencesfollowfromtheassertionthat
theyare,and3whypeopledoassertthis。Nowsinceitis
impossiblethatcontradictoriesshouldbeatthesametimetrueofthe
samething,obviouslycontrariesalsocannotbelongatthesametime
tothesamething。Forofcontraries,oneisaprivationnoless
thanitisacontrary-andaprivationoftheessentialnature;and
privationisthedenialofapredicatetoadeterminategenus。If,
then,itisimpossibletoaffirmanddenytrulyatthesametime,it
isalsoimpossiblethatcontrariesshouldbelongtoasubjectatthe
sametime,unlessbothbelongtoitinparticularrelations,oronein
aparticularrelationandonewithoutqualification。
Butontheotherhandtherecannotbeanintermediatebetween
contradictories,butofonesubjectwemusteitheraffirmordeny
anyonepredicate。Thisisclear,inthefirstplace,ifwedefine
whatthetrueandthefalseare。Tosayofwhatisthatitisnot,
orofwhatisnotthatitis,isfalse,whiletosayofwhatisthat
itis,andofwhatisnotthatitisnot,istrue;sothathewhosays
ofanythingthatitis,orthatitisnot,willsayeitherwhatis
trueorwhatisfalse;butneitherwhatisnorwhatisnotissaid
tobeornottobe-Again,theintermediatebetweenthe
contradictorieswillbesoeitherinthewayinwhichgreyis
betweenblackandwhite,orasthatwhichisneithermannorhorse
isbetweenmanandhorse。aIfitwereofthelatterkind,it
couldnotchangeintotheextremesforchangeisfromnot-goodto
good,orfromgoodtonot-good,butasamatteroffactwhenthereis
anintermediateitisalwaysobservedtochangeintotheextremes。For
thereisnochangeexcepttooppositesandtotheirintermediates。b
Butifitisreallyintermediate,inthiswaytootherewouldhave
tobeachangetowhite,whichwasnotfromnot-white;butasitis,
thisisneverseen-Again,everyobjectofunderstandingorreasonthe
understandingeitheraffirmsordenies-thisisobviousfromthe
definition-wheneveritsayswhatistrueorfalse。Whenitconnectsin
onewaybyassertionornegation,itsayswhatistrue,andwhenit
doessoinanotherway,whatisfalse-Again,theremustbean
intermediatebetweenallcontradictories,ifoneisnotarguingmerely
forthesakeofargument;sothatitwillbepossibleforamantosay
whatisneithertruenoruntrue,andtherewillbeamiddlebetween
thatwhichisandthatwhichisnot,sothattherewillalsobeakind
ofchangeintermediatebetweengenerationanddestruction-Again,in
allclassesinwhichthenegationofanattributeinvolvesthe
assertionofitscontrary,eveninthesetherewillbean
intermediate;forinstance,inthesphereofnumberstherewillbe
numberwhichisneitheroddnornot-odd。Butthisisimpossible,asis
obviousfromthedefinition-Again,theprocesswillgoonad
infinitum,andthenumberofrealitieswillbenotonlyhalfas
greatagain,butevengreater。Foragainitwillbepossibletodeny
thisintermediatewithreferencebothtoitsassertionandtoits
negation,andthisnewtermwillbesomedefinitething;forits
essenceissomethingdifferent-Again,whenaman,onbeingasked
whetherathingiswhite,says’no’,hehasdeniednothingexceptthat
itis;anditsnotbeingisanegation。
Somepeoplehaveacquiredthisopinionasotherparadoxical
opinionshavebeenacquired;whenmencannotrefuteeristical
arguments,theygiveintotheargumentandagreethatthe
conclusionistrue。This,then,iswhysomeexpressthisview;
othersdosobecausetheydemandareasonforeverything。Andthe
starting-pointindealingwithallsuchpeopleisdefinition。Now
thedefinitionrestsonthenecessityoftheirmeaningsomething;
fortheformofwordsofwhichthewordisasignwillbeits
definition-WhilethedoctrineofHeraclitus,thatallthingsare
andarenot,seemstomakeeverythingtrue,thatofAnaxagoras,that
thereisanintermediatebetweenthetermsofacontradiction,seems
tomakeeverythingfalse;forwhenthingsaremixed,themixtureis
neithergoodnornot-good,sothatonecannotsayanythingthatis
true。
第13章