首页 >出版文学> TOPICS>第2章

第2章

  Again,toseeiftheindignantmanisjealous,askwhoeachofthemis:forthenitwillbeobviouswhetherthestatementistrueorfalse;e。g。ifheis’jealous’whogrievesatthesuccessesofthegood,andheis’indignant’whogrievesatthesuccessesoftheevil,thenclearlytheindignantmanwouldnotbejealous。Amanshouldsubstitutedefinitionsalsoforthetermscontainedinhisdefinitions,andnotstopuntilhecomestoafamiliarterm:foroftenifthedefinitionberenderedwhole,thepointatissueisnotclearedup,whereasifforoneofthetermsusedinthedefinitionadefinitionbestated,itbecomesobvious。
  Moreover,amanshouldmaketheproblemintoapropositionforhimself,andthenbringanegativeinstanceagainstit:forthenegativeinstancewillbeagroundofattackupontheassertion。
  Thisruleisverynearlythesameastheruletolookintocaseswhereapredicatehasbeenattributedordenieduniversally:butitdiffersintheturnoftheargument。
  Moreover,youshoulddefinewhatkindofthingsshouldbecalledasmostmencallthem,andwhatshouldnot。Forthisisusefulbothforestablishingandforoverthrowingaview:e。g。youshouldsaythatweoughttouseourtermstomeanthesamethingsasmostpeoplemeanbythem,butwhenweaskwhatkindofthingsareorarenotofsuchandsuchakind,weshouldnotheregowiththemultitude:e。g。
  itisrighttocall’healthy’whatevertendstoproducehealth,asdomostmen:butinsayingwhethertheobjectbeforeustendstoproducehealthornot,weshouldadoptthelanguagenolongerofthemultitudebutofthedoctor。
  3
  Moreover,ifatermbeusedinseveralsenses,andithasbeenlaiddownthatitisorthatitisnotanattributeofS,youshouldshowyourcaseofoneofitsseveralsenses,ifyoucannotshowitofboth。Thisruleistobeobservedincaseswherethedifferenceofmeaningisundetected;forsupposingthistobeobvious,thentheothermanwillobjectthatthepointwhichhehimselfquestionedhasnotbeendiscussed,butonlytheotherpoint。Thiscommonplaceruleisconvertibleforpurposesbothofestablishingandofoverthrowingaview。Forifwewanttoestablishastatement,weshallshowthatinonesensetheattributebelongs,ifwecannotshowitofbothsenses:whereasifweareoverthrowingastatement,weshallshowthatinonesensetheattributedoesnotbelong,ifwecannotshowitofbothsenses。Ofcourse,inoverthrowingastatementthereisnoneedtostartthediscussionbysecuringanyadmission,eitherwhenthestatementassertsorwhenitdeniestheattributeuniversally:forifweshowthatinanycasewhatevertheattributedoesnotbelong,weshallhavedemolishedtheuniversalassertionofit,andlikewisealsoifweshowthatitbelongsinasinglecase,weshalldemolishtheuniversaldenialofit。Whereasinestablishingastatementweoughttosecureapreliminaryadmissionthatifitbelongsinanycasewhatever,itbelongsuniversally,supposingthisclaimtobeaplausibleone。Foritisnotenoughtodiscussasingleinstanceinordertoshowthatanattributebelongsuniversally;e。g。toarguethatifthesoulofmanbeimmortal,theneverysoulisimmortal,sothatapreviousadmissionmustbesecuredthatifanysoulwhateverbeimmortal,theneverysoulisimmortal。Thisisnottobedoneineverycase,butonlywheneverwearenoteasilyabletoquoteanysingleargumentapplyingtoallcasesincommon,as(e。g。)thegeometriciancanarguethatthetrianglehasitsanglesequaltotworightangles。
  If,again,thevarietyofmeaningsofatermbeobvious,distinguishhowmanymeaningsithasbeforeproceedingeithertodemolishortoestablishit:e。g。supposing’theright’tomean’theexpedient’or’thehonourable’,youshouldtryeithertoestablishortodemolishbothdescriptionsofthesubjectinquestion;e。g。byshowingthatitishonourableandexpedient,orthatitisneitherhonourablenorexpedient。Supposing,however,thatitisimpossibletoshowboth,youshouldshowtheone,addinganindicationthatitistrueintheonesenseandnotintheother。Thesameruleappliesalsowhenthenumberofsensesintowhichitisdividedismorethantwo。
  Again,considerthoseexpressionswhosemeaningsaremany,butdiffernotbywayofambiguityofaterm,butinsomeotherway:
  e。g。’Thescienceofmanythingsisone’:here’manythings’maymeantheendandthemeanstothatend,as(e。g。)medicineisthesciencebothofproducinghealthandofdieting;ortheymaybebothofthemends,asthescienceofcontrariesissaidtobethesame(forofcontrariestheoneisnomoreanendthantheother);oragaintheymaybeanessentialandanaccidentalattribute,as(e。g。)theessentialfactthatthetrianglehasitsanglesequaltotworightangles,andtheaccidentalfactthattheequilateralfigurehasthemso:foritisbecauseoftheaccidentoftheequilateraltrianglehappeningtobeatrianglethatweknowthatithasitsanglesequaltotworightangles。If,then,itisnotpossibleinanysenseofthetermthatthescienceofmanythingsshouldbethesame,itclearlyisaltogetherimpossiblethatitshouldbeso;or,ifitispossibleinsomesense,thenclearlyitispossible。Distinguishasmanymeaningsasarerequired:e。g。ifwewanttoestablishaview,weshouldbringforwardallsuchmeaningsasadmitthatviewandshoulddividethemonlyintothosemeaningswhichalsoarerequiredfortheestablishmentofourcase:whereasifwewanttooverthrowaview,weshouldbringforwardallthatdonotadmitthatview,andleavetherestaside。Wemustdealalsointhesecasesaswellwithanyuncertaintyaboutthenumberofmeaningsinvolved。Further,thatonethingis,orisnot,’of’anothershouldbeestablishedbymeansofthesamecommonplacerules;e。g。thataparticularscienceisofaparticularthing,treatedeitherasanendorasameanstoitsend,orasaccidentallyconnectedwithit;oragainthatitisnot’of’
  itinanyoftheaforesaidways。Thesameruleholdstruealsoofdesireandallothertermsthathavemorethanoneobject。Forthe’desireofX’maymeanthedesireofitasanend(e。g。thedesireofhealth)orasameanstoanend(e。g。thedesireofbeingdoctored),orasathingdesiredaccidentally,as,inthecaseofwine,thesweet—toothedpersondesiresitnotbecauseitiswinebutbecauseitissweet。Foressentiallyhedesiresthesweet,andonlyaccidentallythewine:forifitbedry,henolongerdesiresit。
  Hisdesireforitisthereforeaccidental。Thisruleisusefulindealingwithrelativeterms:forcasesofthiskindaregenerallycasesofrelativeterms。
  4
  Moreover,itiswelltoalteratermintoonemorefamiliar,e。g。tosubstitute’clear’for’exact’indescribingaconception,and’beingfussy’for’beingbusy’:forwhentheexpressionismademorefamiliar,thethesisbecomeseasiertoattack。Thiscommonplacerulealsoisavailableforbothpurposesalike,bothforestablishingandforoverthrowingaview。
  Inordertoshowthatcontraryattributesbelongtothesamething,lookatitsgenus;e。g。ifwewanttoshowthatrightnessandwrongnessarepossibleinregardtoperception,andtoperceiveistojudge,whileitispossibletojudgerightlyorwrongly,theninregardtoperceptionaswellrightnessandwrongnessmustbepossible。
  Inthepresentinstancetheproofproceedsfromthegenusandrelatestothespecies:for’tojudge’isthegenusof’to—perceive’;
  forthemanwhoperceivesjudgesinacertainway。Butpercontraitmayproceedfromthespeciestothegenus:foralltheattributesthatbelongtothespeciesbelongtothegenusaswell;e。g。ifthereisabadandagoodknowledgethereisalsoabadandagooddisposition:
  for’disposition’isthegenusofknowledge。Nowtheformercommonplaceargumentisfallaciousforpurposesofestablishingaview,whilethesecondistrue。Forthereisnonecessitythatalltheattributesthatbelongtothegenusshouldbelongalsotothespecies;
  for’animal’isflyingandquadruped,butnotso’man’。Alltheattributes,ontheotherhand,thatbelongtothespeciesmustofnecessitybelongalsotothegenus;forif’man’isgood,thenanimalalsoisgood。Ontheotherhand,forpurposesofoverthrowingaview,theformerargumentistruewhilethelatterisfallacious;
  foralltheattributeswhichdonotbelongtothegenusdonotbelongtothespecieseither;whereasallthosethatarewantingtothespeciesarenotofnecessitywantingtothegenus。
  Sincethosethingsofwhichthegenusispredicatedmustalsoofnecessityhaveoneofitsspeciespredicatedofthem,andsincethosethingsthatarepossessedofthegenusinquestion,oraredescribedbytermsderivedfromthatgenus,mustalsoofnecessitybepossessedofoneofitsspeciesorbedescribedbytermsderivedfromoneofitsspecies(e。g。iftoanythingtheterm’scientificknowledge’beapplied,thenalsotherewillbeappliedtoittheterm’grammatical’or’musical’knowledge,orknowledgeofoneoftheothersciences;andifanyonepossessesscientificknowledgeorisdescribedbyatermderivedfrom’science’,thenhewillalsopossessgrammaticalormusicalknowledgeorknowledgeofoneoftheothersciences,orwillbedescribedbyatermderivedfromoneofthem,e。g。asa’grammarian’ora’musician’)—thereforeifanyexpressionbeassertedthatisinanywayderivedfromthegenus(e。g。
  thatthesoulisinmotion),lookandseewhetheritbepossibleforthesoultobemovedwithanyofthespeciesofmotion;whether(e。g。)
  itcangroworbedestroyedorcometobe,andsoforthwithalltheotherspeciesofmotion。Forifitbenotmovedinanyoftheseways,clearlyitdoesnotmoveatall。Thiscommonplaceruleiscommonforbothpurposes,bothforoverthrowingandforestablishingaview:forifthesoulmoveswithoneofthespeciesofmotion,clearlyitdoesmove;whileifitdoesnotmovewithanyofthespeciesofmotion,clearlyitdoesnotmove。
  Ifyouarenotwellequippedwithanargumentagainsttheassertion,lookamongthedefinitions,realorapparent,ofthethingbeforeyou,andifoneisnotenough,drawuponseveral。Foritwillbeeasiertoattackpeoplewhencommittedtoadefinition:foranattackisalwaysmoreeasilymadeondefinitions。
  Moreover,lookandseeinregardtothethinginquestion,whatitiswhoserealityconditionstherealityofthethinginquestion,orwhatitiswhoserealitynecessarilyfollowsifthethinginquestionbereal:ifyouwishtoestablishaviewinquirewhatthereisonwhoserealitytherealityofthethinginquestionwillfollow(foriftheformerbeshowntobereal,thenthethinginquestionwillalsohavebeenshowntobereal);whileifyouwanttooverthrowaview,askwhatitisthatisrealifthethinginquestionbereal,forifweshowthatwhatfollowsfromthethinginquestionisunreal,weshallhavedemolishedthethinginquestion。
  Moreover,lookatthetimeinvolved,toseeiftherebeanydiscrepancyanywhere:e。g。supposeamantohavestatedthatwhatisbeingnourishedofnecessitygrows:foranimalsarealwaysofnecessitybeingnourished,buttheydonotalwaysgrow。Likewise,also,ifhehassaidthatknowingisremembering:fortheoneisconcernedwithpasttime,whereastheotherhastodoalsowiththepresentandthefuture。Forwearesaidtoknowthingspresentandfuture(e。g。thattherewillbeaneclipse),whereasitisimpossibletorememberanythingsavewhatisinthepast。
  5
  Moreover,thereisthesophisticturnofargument,wherebywedrawouropponentintothekindofstatementagainstwhichweshallbewellsuppliedwithlinesofargument。Thisprocessissometimesarealnecessity,sometimesanapparentnecessity,sometimesneitheranapparentnorarealnecessity。Itisreallynecessarywhenevertheanswererhasdeniedanyviewthatwouldbeusefulinattackingthethesis,andthequestionerthereuponaddresseshisargumentstothesupportofthisview,andwhenmoreovertheviewinquestionhappenstobeoneofakindonwhichhehasagoodstockoflinesofargument。
  Likewise,also,itisreallynecessarywheneverhe(thequestioner)
  first,byaninductionmadebymeansoftheviewlaiddown,arrivesatacertainstatementandthentriestodemolishthatstatement:forwhenoncethishasbeendemolished,thevieworiginallylaiddownisdemolishedaswell。Itisanapparentnecessity,whenthepointtowhichthediscussioncomestobedirectedappearstobeuseful,andrelevanttothethesis,withoutbeingreallyso;whetheritbethatthemanwhoisstandinguptotheargumenthasrefusedtoconcedesomething,orwhetherhe(thequestioner)hasfirstreacheditbyaplausibleinductionbaseduponthethesisandthentriestodemolishit。Theremainingcaseiswhenthepointtowhichthediscussioncomestobedirectedisneitherreallynorapparentlynecessary,anditistheanswerer’slucktobeconfutedonameresideissueYoushouldbewareofthelastoftheaforesaidmethods;foritappearstobewhollydisconnectedfrom,andforeignto,theartofdialectic。Forthisreason,moreover,theanswerershouldnotlosehistemper,butassenttothosestatementsthatareofnouseinattackingthethesis,addinganindicationwheneverheassentsalthoughhedoesnotagreewiththeview。For,asarule,itincreasestheconfusionofquestionersif,afterallpropositionsofthiskindhavebeengrantedthem,theycanthendrawnoconclusion。
  Moreover,anyonewhohasmadeanystatementwhateverhasinacertainsensemadeseveralstatements,inasmuchaseachstatementhasanumberofnecessaryconsequences:e。g。themanwhosaid’Xisaman’hasalsosaidthatitisananimalandthatitisanimateandabipedandcapableofacquiringreasonandknowledge,sothatbythedemolitionofanysingleoneoftheseconsequences,ofwhateverkind,theoriginalstatementisdemolishedaswell。Butyoushouldbewareheretooofmakingachangetoamoredifficultsubject:forsometimestheconsequence,andsometimestheoriginalthesis,istheeasiertodemolish。
  6
  Inregardtosubjectswhichmusthaveoneandoneonlyoftwopredicates,as(e。g。)amanmusthaveeitheradiseaseorhealth,supposingwearewellsuppliedasregardstheoneforarguingitspresenceorabsence,weshallbewellequippedasregardstheremainingoneaswell。Thisruleisconvertibleforbothpurposes:forwhenwehaveshownthattheoneattributebelongs,weshallhaveshownthattheremainingonedoesnotbelong;whileifweshowthattheonedoesnotbelong,weshallhaveshownthattheremainingonedoesbelong。Clearlythentheruleisusefulforbothpurposes。
  Moreover,youmaydevisealineofattackbyreinterpretingaterminitsliteralmeaning,withtheimplicationthatitismostfittingsototakeitratherthaninitsestablishedmeaning:e。g。theexpression’strongatheart’willsuggestnotthecourageousman,accordingtotheusenowestablished,butthemanthestateofwhoseheartisstrong;justasalsotheexpression’ofagoodhope’maybetakentomeanthemanwhohopesforgoodthings。Likewisealso’well—starred’maybetakentomeanthemanwhosestarisgood,asXenocratessays’well—starredishewhohasanoblesoul’。’Foraman’sstarishissoul。
  Somethingsoccurofnecessity,othersusually,othershoweveritmaychance;ifthereforeanecessaryeventhasbeenassertedtooccurusually,orifausualevent(or,failingsuchaneventitself,itscontrary)hasbeenstatedtooccurofnecessity,italwaysgivesanopportunityforattack。Forifanecessaryeventhasbeenassertedtooccurusually,clearlythespeakerhasdeniedanattributetobeuniversalwhichisuniversal,andsohasmadeamistake:andsohehasifhehasdeclaredtheusualattributetobenecessary:
  forthenhedeclaresittobelonguniversallywhenitdoesnotsobelong。Likewisealsoifhehasdeclaredthecontraryofwhatisusualtobenecessary。Forthecontraryofausualattributeisalwaysacomparativelyrareattribute:e。g。ifmenareusuallybad,theyarecomparativelyseldomgood,sothathismistakeisevenworseifhehasdeclaredthemtobegoodofnecessity。Thesameistruealsoifhehasdeclaredamerematterofchancetohappenofnecessityorusually;
  forachanceeventhappensneitherofnecessitynorusually。Ifthethinghappensusually,thenevensupposinghisstatementdoesnotdistinguishwhetherhemeantthatithappensusuallyorthatithappensnecessarily,itisopentoyoutodiscussitontheassumptionthathemeantthatithappensnecessarily:e。g。ifhehasstatedwithoutanydistinctionthatdisinheritedpersonsarebad,youmayassumeindiscussingitthathemeansthattheyaresonecessarily。
  Moreover,lookandseealsoifhehasstatedathingtobeanaccidentofitself,takingittobeadifferentthingbecauseithasadifferentname,asProdicususedtodividepleasuresintojoyanddelightandgoodcheer:forallthesearenamesofthesamething,towit,Pleasure。Ifthenanyonesaysthatjoyfulnessisanaccidentalattributeofcheerfulness,hewouldbedeclaringittobeanaccidentalattributeofitself。
  7
  Inasmuchascontrariescanbeconjoinedwitheachotherinsixways,andfouroftheseconjunctionsconstituteacontrariety,wemustgraspthesubjectofcontraries,inorderthatitmayhelpusbothindemolishingandinestablishingaview。Wellthen,thatthemodesofconjunctionaresixisclear:foreither(1)eachofthecontraryverbswillbeconjoinedtoeachofthecontraryobjects;andthisgivestwomodes:e。g。todogoodtofriendsandtodoeviltoenemies,orpercontratodoeviltofriendsandtodogoodtoenemies。Orelse(2)bothverbsmaybeattachedtooneobject;andthistoogivestwomodes,e。g。todogoodtofriendsandtodoeviltofriends,ortodogoodtoenemiesandtodoeviltoenemies。Or(3)asingleverbmaybeattachedtobothobjects:andthisalsogivestwomodes;e。g。todogoodtofriendsandtodogoodtoenemies,ortodoeviltofriendsandeviltoenemies。
  Thefirsttwothenoftheaforesaidconjunctionsdonotconstituteanycontrariety;forthedoingofgoodtofriendsisnotcontrarytothedoingofeviltoenemies:forbothcoursesaredesirableandbelongtothesamedisposition。Noristhedoingofeviltofriendscontrarytothedoingofgoodtoenemies:forbothoftheseareobjectionableandbelongtothesamedisposition:andoneobjectionablethingisnotgenerallythoughttobethecontraryofanother,unlesstheonebeanexpressiondenotinganexcess,andtheotheranexpressiondenotingadefect:foranexcessisgenerallythoughttobelongtotheclassofobjectionablethings,andlikewisealsoadefect。Buttheotherfourallconstituteacontrariety。Fortodogoodtofriendsiscontrarytothedoingofeviltofriends:foritproceedsfromthecontrarydisposition,andtheoneisdesirable,andtheotherobjectionable。Thecaseisthesamealsoinregardtotheotherconjunctions:forineachcombinationtheonecourseisdesirable,andtheotherobjectionable,andtheonebelongstoareasonabledispositionandtheothertoabad。Clearly,then,fromwhathasbeensaid,thesamecoursehasmorethanonecontrary。Forthedoingofgoodtofriendshasasitscontraryboththedoingofgoodtoenemiesandthedoingofeviltofriends。Likewise,ifweexaminetheminthesameway,weshallfindthatthecontrariesofeachoftheothersalsoaretwoinnumber。Selectthereforewhicheverofthetwocontrariesisusefulinattackingthethesis。
  Moreover,iftheaccidentofathinghaveacontrary,seewhetheritbelongstothesubjecttowhichtheaccidentinquestionhasbeendeclaredtobelong:forifthelatterbelongstheformercouldnotbelong;foritisimpossiblethatcontrarypredicatesshouldbelongatthesametimetothesamething。
  Oragain,lookandseeifanythinghasbeensaidaboutsomething,ofsuchakindthatifitbetrue,contrarypredicatesmustnecessarilybelongtothething:e。g。ifhehassaidthatthe’Ideas’existinus。
  Forthentheresultwillbethattheyarebothinmotionandatrest,andmoreoverthattheyareobjectsbothofsensationandofthought。ForaccordingtotheviewsofthosewhoposittheexistenceofIdeas,thoseIdeasareatrestandareobjectsofthought;whileiftheyexistinus,itisimpossiblethattheyshouldbeunmoved:forwhenwemove,itfollowsnecessarilythatallthatisinusmoveswithusaswell。Clearlyalsotheyareobjectsofsensation,iftheyexistinus:foritisthroughthesensationofsightthatwerecognizetheFormpresentineachindividual。
  Again,iftherebepositedanaccidentwhichhasacontrary,lookandseeifthatwhichadmitsoftheaccidentwilladmitofitscontraryaswell:forthesamethingadmitsofcontraries。Thus(e。g。)
  ifhehasassertedthathatredfollowsanger,hatredwouldinthatcasebeinthe’spiritedfaculty’:forthatiswhereangeris。Youshouldthereforelookandseeifitscontrary,towit,friendship,bealsointhe’spiritedfaculty’:forifnot—iffriendshipisinthefacultyofdesire—thenhatredcouldnotfollowanger。Likewisealsoifhehasassertedthatthefacultyofdesireisignorant。Forifitwerecapableofignorance,itwouldbecapableofknowledgeaswell:andthisisnotgenerallyheld—Imeanthatthefacultyofdesireiscapableofknowledge。Forpurposes,then,ofoverthrowingaview,ashasbeensaid,thisruleshouldbeobserved:butforpurposesofestablishingone,thoughtherulewillnothelpyoutoassertthattheaccidentactuallybelongs,itwillhelpyoutoassertthatitmaypossiblybelong。Forhavingshownthatthethinginquestionwillnotadmitofthecontraryoftheaccidentasserted,weshallhaveshownthattheaccidentneitherbelongsnorcanpossiblybelong;whileontheotherhand,ifweshowthatthecontrarybelongs,orthatthethingiscapableofthecontrary,weshallnotindeedasyethaveshownthattheaccidentasserteddoesbelongaswell;ourproofwillmerelyhavegonetothispoint,thatitispossibleforittobelong。
  8
  Seeingthatthemodesofoppositionarefourinnumber,youshouldlookforargumentsamongthecontradictoriesofyourterms,convertingtheorderoftheirsequence,bothwhendemolishingandwhenestablishingaview,andyoushouldsecurethembymeansofinduction—sucharguments(e。g。)asthatmanbeananimal,whatisnotananimalisnotaman’:andlikewisealsoinotherinstancesofcontradictories。Forinthosecasesthesequenceisconverse:for’animal’followsupon’manbut’not—animal’doesnotfollowupon’not—man’,butconversely’not—man’upon’not—animal’。Inallcases,therefore,apostulateofthissortshouldbemade,(e。g。)that’Ifthehonourableispleasant,whatisnotpleasantisnothonourable,whileifthelatterbeuntrue,soistheformer’。Likewise,also,’Ifwhatisnotpleasantbenothonourable,thenwhatishonourableispleasant’。Clearly,then,theconversionofthesequenceformedbycontradictionofthetermsofthethesisisamethodconvertibleforbothpurposes。
  ThenlookalsoatthecaseofthecontrariesofSandPinthethesis,andseeifthecontraryoftheonefollowsuponthecontraryoftheother,eitherdirectlyorconversely,bothwhenyouaredemolishingandwhenyouareestablishingaview:secureargumentsofthiskindaswellbymeansofinduction,sofarasmayberequired。
  Nowthesequenceisdirectinacasesuchasthatofcourageandcowardice:forupontheoneofthemvirtuefollows,andviceupontheother;andupontheoneitfollowsthatitisdesirable,whileupontheotheritfollowsthatitisobjectionable。Thesequence,therefore,inthelattercasealsoisdirect;forthedesirableisthecontraryoftheobjectionable。Likewisealsoinothercases。Thesequenceis,ontheotherhand,converseinsuchacaseasthis:
  Healthfollowsuponvigour,butdiseasedoesnotfollowupondebility;
  ratherdebilityfollowsupondisease。Inthiscase,then,clearlythesequenceisconverse。Conversesequenceis,however,rareinthecaseofcontraries;usuallythesequenceisdirect。If,therefore,thecontraryoftheonetermdoesnotfollowuponthecontraryoftheothereitherdirectlyorconversely,clearlyneitherdoestheonetermfollowupontheotherinthestatementmade:whereasiftheonefollowedtheotherinthecaseofthecontraries,itmustofnecessitydosoaswellintheoriginalstatement。
  Youshouldlookalsointocasesoftheprivationorpresenceofastateinlikemannertothecaseofcontraries。Only,inthecaseofsuchprivationstheconversesequencedoesnotoccur:thesequenceisalwaysboundtobedirect:e。g。assensationfollowssight,whileabsenceofsensationfollowsblindness。Fortheoppositionofsensationtoabsenceofsensationisanoppositionofthepresencetotheprivationofastate:fortheoneofthemisastate,andtheothertheprivationofit。
  Thecaseofrelativetermsshouldalsobestudiedinlikemannertothatofastateanditsprivation:forthesequenceoftheseaswellisdirect;e。g。if3/1isamultiple,then1/3isafraction:for3/1isrelativeto1/3,andsoisamultipletoafraction。Again,ifknowledgebeaconceiving,thenalsotheobjectofknowledgeisanobjectofconception;andifsightbeasensation,thenalsotheobjectofsightisanobjectofsensation。Anobjectionmaybemadethatthereisnonecessityforthesequencetotakeplace,inthecaseofrelativeterms,inthewaydescribed:fortheobjectofsensationisanobjectofknowledge,whereassensationisnotknowledge。Theobjectionis,however,notgenerallyreceivedasreallytrue;formanypeopledenythatthereisknowledgeofobjectsofsensation。Moreover,theprinciplestatedisjustasusefulforthecontrarypurpose,e。g。toshowthattheobjectofsensationisnotanobjectofknowledge,onthegroundthatneitherissensationknowledge。
  9
  Againlookatthecaseoftheco—ordinatesandinflectedformsofthetermsinthethesis,bothindemolishingandinestablishingit。
  Byco—ordinates’aremeanttermssuchasthefollowing:’Justdeeds’
  andthe’justman’arecoordinatesof’justice’,and’courageousdeeds’andthe’courageousman’areco—ordinatesofcourage。
  Likewisealsothingsthattendtoproduceandtopreserveanythingarecalledco—ordinatesofthatwhichtheytendtoproduceandtopreserve,ase。g。’healthyhabits’areco—ordinatesof’health’anda’vigorousconstitutional’ofa’vigorousconstitution’andsoforthalsoinothercases。’Co—ordinate’,then,usuallydescribescasessuchasthese,whereas’inflectedforms’aresuchasthefollowing:’justly’,’courageously’,’healthily’,andsuchasareformedinthisway。Itisusuallyheldthatwordswhenusedintheirinflectedformsaswellareco—ordinates,as(e。g。)’justly’inrelationtojustice,and’courageously’tocourage;andthen’co—ordinate’describesallthemembersofthesamekindredseries,e。g。’justice’,’just’,ofamanoranact,’justly’。Clearly,then,whenanyonemember,whateveritskind,ofthesamekindredseriesisshowntobegoodorpraiseworthy,thenalltherestaswellcometobeshowntobeso:e。g。if’justice’besomethingpraiseworthy,thensowill’just’,ofamanorthing,and’justly’connotesomethingpraiseworthy。Then’justly’willberenderedalso’praiseworthily’,derivedwillbythesameinflexionfrom’thepraiseworthy’whereby’justly’isderivedfrom’justice’。
  Looknotonlyinthecaseofthesubjectmentioned,butalsointhecaseofitscontrary,forthecontrarypredicate:e。g。arguethatgoodisnotnecessarilypleasant;forneitherisevilpainful:orthat,ifthelatterbethecase,soistheformer。Also,ifjusticebeknowledge,theninjusticeisignorance:andif’justly’means’knowingly’and’skilfully’,then’unjustly’means’ignorantly’and’unskilfully’:whereasifthelatterbenottrue,neitheristheformer,asintheinstancegivenjustnow:for’unjustly’ismorelikelytoseemequivalentto’skilfully’thanto’unskilfully’。Thiscommonplacerulehasbeenstatedbeforeindealingwiththesequenceofcontraries;forallweareclaimingnowisthatthecontraryofP
  shallfollowthecontraryofS。
  Moreover,lookatthemodesofgenerationanddestructionofathing,andatthethingswhichtendtoproduceortodestroyit,bothindemolishingandinestablishingaview。Forthosethingswhosemodesofgenerationrankamonggoodthings,arethemselvesalsogood;andiftheythemselvesbegood,soalsoaretheirmodesofgeneration。If,ontheotherhand,theirmodesofgenerationbeevil,thentheythemselvesalsoareevil。Inregardtomodesofdestructiontheconverseistrue:forifthemodesofdestructionrankasgoodthings,thentheythemselvesrankasevilthings;whereasifthemodesofdestructioncountasevil,theythemselvescountasgood。
  Thesameargumentappliesalsotothingstendingtoproduceanddestroy:forthingswhoseproductivecausesaregood,themselvesalsorankasgood;whereasifcausesdestructiveofthemaregood,theythemselvesrankasevil。
  10
  Again,lookatthingswhicharelikethesubjectinquestion,andseeiftheyareinlikecase;e。g。ifonebranchofknowledgehasmorethanoneobject,soalsowilloneopinion;andiftopossesssightbetosee,thenalsotopossesshearingwillbetohear。Likewisealsointhecaseofotherthings,boththosewhichareandthosewhicharegenerallyheldtobelike。Theruleinquestionisusefulforbothpurposes;forifitbeasstatedinthecaseofsomeonelikething,itissowiththeotherlikethingsaswell,whereasifitbenotsointhecaseofsomeoneofthem,neitherisitsointhecaseoftheothers。Lookandseealsowhetherthecasesarealikeasregardsasinglethingandanumberofthings:forsometimesthereisadiscrepancy。Thus,ifto’know’athingbeto’thinkof’it,thenalsoto’knowmanythings’isto’bethinkingofmanythings’;whereasthisisnottrue;foritispossibletoknowmanythingsbutnottobethinkingofthem。If,then,thelatterpropositionbenottrue,neitherwastheformerthatdealtwithasinglething,viz。thatto’know’athingisto’thinkof’it。
  Moreover,arguefromgreaterandlessdegrees。Inregardtogreaterdegreestherearefourcommonplacerules。Oneis:Seewhetheragreaterdegreeofthepredicatefollowsagreaterdegreeofthesubject:e。g。ifpleasurebegood,seewhetheralsoagreaterpleasurebeagreatergood:andiftodoawrongbeevil,seewhetheralsotodoagreaterwrongisagreaterevil。Nowthisruleisofuseforbothpurposes:forifanincreaseoftheaccidentfollowsanincreaseofthesubject,aswehavesaid,clearlytheaccidentbelongs;whileifitdoesnotfollow,theaccidentdoesnotbelong。
  Youshouldestablishthisbyinduction。Anotherruleis:Ifonepredicatebeattributedtotwosubjects;thensupposingitdoesnotbelongtothesubjecttowhichitisthemorelikelytobelong,neitherdoesitbelongwhereitislesslikelytobelong;whileifitdoesbelongwhereitislesslikelytobelong,thenitbelongsaswellwhereitismorelikely。Again:Iftwopredicatesbeattributedtoonesubject,theniftheonewhichismoregenerallythoughttobelongdoesnotbelong,neitherdoestheonethatislessgenerallythoughttobelong;or,iftheonethatislessgenerallythoughttobelongdoesbelong,soalsodoestheother。Moreover:Iftwopredicatesbeattributedtotwosubjects,theniftheonewhichismoreusuallythoughttobelongtotheonesubjectdoesnotbelong,neitherdoestheremainingpredicatebelongtotheremainingsubject;or,iftheonewhichislessusuallythoughttobelongtotheonesubjectdoesbelong,sotoodoestheremainingpredicatetotheremainingsubject。
  Moreover,youcanarguefromthefactthatanattributebelongs,orisgenerallysupposedtobelong,inalikedegree,inthreeways,viz。thosedescribedinthelastthreerulesgiveninregardtoagreaterdegree。’Forsupposingthatonepredicatebelongs,orissupposedtobelong,totwosubjectsinalikedegree,thenifitdoesnotbelongtotheone,neitherdoesitbelongtotheother;whileifitbelongstotheone,itbelongstotheremainingoneaswell。Or,supposingtwopredicatestobelonginalikedegreetothesamesubject,then,iftheonedoesnotbelong,neitherdoestheremainingone;whileiftheonedoesbelong,theremainingonebelongsaswell。Thecaseisthesamealsoiftwopredicatesbelonginalikedegreetotwosubjects;foriftheonepredicatedoesnotbelongtotheonesubject,neitherdoestheremainingpredicatebelongtotheremainingsubject,whileiftheonepredicatedoesbelongtotheonesubject,theremainingpredicatebelongstotheremainingsubjectaswell。
  11
  Youcanargue,then,fromgreaterorlessorlikedegreesoftruthintheaforesaidnumberofways。Moreover,youshouldarguefromtheadditionofonethingtoanother。Iftheadditionofonethingtoanothermakesthatothergoodorwhite,whereasformerlyitwasnotwhiteorgood,thenthethingaddedwillbewhiteorgood—itwillpossessthecharacteritimpartstothewholeaswell。Moreover,ifanadditionofsomethingtoagivenobjectintensifiesthecharacterwhichithadasgiven,thenthethingaddedwillitselfaswellbeofthatcharacter。Likewise,also,inthecaseofotherattributes。
  Theruleisnotapplicableinallcases,butonlyinthoseinwhichtheexcessdescribedasan’increasedintensity’isfoundtotakeplace。Theaboveruleis,however,notconvertibleforoverthrowingaview。Forifthethingaddeddoesnotmaketheothergood,itisnottherebymadeclearwhetherinitselfitmaynotbegood:fortheadditionofgoodtoevildoesnotnecessarilymakethewholegood,anymorethantheadditionofwhitetoblackmakesthewholewhite。
  Again,anypredicateofwhichwecanspeakofgreaterorlessdegreesbelongsalsoabsolutely:forgreaterorlessdegreesofgoodorofwhitewillnotbeattributedtowhatisnotgoodorwhite:forabadthingwillneverbesaidtohaveagreaterorlessdegreeofgoodnessthananother,butalwaysofbadness。Thisruleisnotconvertible,either,forthepurposeofoverthrowingapredication:
  forseveralpredicatesofwhichwecannotspeakofagreaterdegreebelongabsolutely:fortheterm’man’isnotattributedingreaterandlessdegrees,butamanisamanforallthat。
  Youshouldexamineinthesamewaypredicatesattributedinagivenrespect,andatagiventimeandplace:forifthepredicatebepossibleinsomerespect,itispossiblealsoabsolutely。Likewise,also,iswhatispredicatedatagiventimeorplace:forwhatisabsolutelyimpossibleisnotpossibleeitherinanyrespectoratanyplaceortime。Anobjectionmayberaisedthatinagivenrespectpeoplemaybegoodbynature,e。g。theymaybegenerousortemperatelyinclined,whileabsolutelytheyarenotgoodbynature,becausenooneisprudentbynature。Likewise,also,itispossibleforadestructiblethingtoescapedestructionatagiventime,whereasitisnotpossibleforittoescapeabsolutely。Inthesamewayalsoitisagoodthingatcertainplacestofollowseeandsuchadiet,e。g。ininfectedareas,thoughitisnotagoodthingabsolutely。Moreover,incertainplacesitispossibletolivesinglyandalone,butabsolutelyitisnotpossibletoexistsinglyandalone。Inthesamewayalsoitisincertainplaceshonourabletosacrificeone’sfather,e。g。amongtheTriballi,whereas,absolutely,itisnothonourable。Orpossiblythismayindicatearelativitynottoplacesbuttopersons:foritisallthesamewherevertheymaybe:foreverywhereitwillbeheldhonourableamongtheTriballithemselves,justbecausetheyareTriballi。
  Again,atcertaintimesitisagoodthingtotakemedicines,e。g。
  whenoneisill,butitisnotsoabsolutely。Orpossiblythisagainmayindicatearelativitynottoacertaintime,buttoacertainstateofhealth:foritisallthesamewheneveritoccurs,ifonlyonebeinthatstate。Athingis’absolutely’sowhichwithoutanyadditionyouarepreparedtosayishonourableorthecontrary。Thus(e。g。)youwilldenythattosacrificeone’sfatherishonourable:
  itishonourableonlytocertainpersons:itisnotthereforehonourableabsolutely。Ontheotherhand,tohonourthegodsyouwilldeclaretobehonourablewithoutaddinganything,becausethatishonourableabsolutely。Sothatwhateverwithoutanyadditionisgenerallyaccountedtobehonourableordishonourableoranythingelseofthatkind,willbesaidtobeso’absolutely’。
  BookIII
  1
  THEquestionwhichisthemoredesirable,orthebetter,oftwoormorethings,shouldbeexamineduponthefollowinglines:onlyfirstofallitmustbeclearlylaiddownthattheinquirywearemakingconcernsnotthingsthatarewidelydivergentandthatexhibitgreatdifferencesfromoneanother(fornobodyraisesanydoubtwhetherhappinessorwealthismoredesirable),butthingsthatarenearlyrelatedandaboutwhichwecommonlydiscussforwhichofthetwoweoughtrathertovote,becausewedonotseeanyadvantageoneithersideascomparedwiththeother。Clearly,insuchcasesifwecanshowasingleadvantage,ormorethanone,ourjudgementwillrecordourassentthatwhicheversidehappenstohavetheadvantageisthemoredesirable。
  First,then,thatwhichismorelastingorsecureismoredesirablethanthatwhichislessso:andsoisthatwhichismorelikelytobechosenbytheprudentorbythegoodmanorbytherightlaw,orbymenwhoaregoodinanyparticularline,whentheymaketheirchoiceassuch,orbytheexpertsinregardtoanyparticularclassofthings;i。e。eitherwhatevermostofthemorwhatallofthemwouldchoose;e。g。inmedicineorincarpentrythosethingsaremoredesirablewhichmost,orall,doctorswouldchoose;or,ingeneral,whatevermostmenorallmenorallthingswouldchoose,e。g。thegood:foreverythingaimsatthegood。Youshoulddirecttheargumentyouintendtoemploytowhateverpurposeyourequire。Ofwhatis’better’or’moredesirable’theabsolutestandardistheverdictofthebetterscience,thoughrelativelytoagivenindividualthestandardmaybehisownparticularscience。
  Inthesecondplace,thatwhichisknownas’anx’ismoredesirablethanthatwhichdoesnotcomewithinthegenus’x’—e。g。justicethanajustman;fortheformerfallswithinthegenus’good’,whereastheotherdoesnot,andtheformeriscalled’agood’,whereasthelatterisnot:fornothingwhichdoesnothappentobelongtothegenusinquestioniscalledbythegenericname;e。g。a’whiteman’isnot’acolour’。Likewisealsoinothercases。
  Also,thatwhichisdesiredforitselfismoredesirablethanthatwhichisdesiredforsomethingelse;e。g。healthismoredesirablethangymnastics:fortheformerisdesiredforitself,thelatterforsomethingelse。Also,thatwhichisdesirableinitselfismoredesirablethanwhatisdesirableperaccidens;e。g。justiceinourfriendsthanjusticeinourenemies:fortheformerisdesirableinitself,thelatterperaccidens:forwedesirethatourenemiesshouldbejustperaccidens,inorderthattheymaydousnoharm。Thislastprincipleisthesameastheonethatprecedesit,with,however,adifferentturnofexpression。Forwedesirejusticeinourfriendsforitself,eventhoughitwillmakenodifferencetous,andeventhoughtheybeinIndia;whereasinourenemieswedesireitforsomethingelse,inorderthattheymaydousnoharm。
  Also,thatwhichisinitselfthecauseofgoodismoredesirablethanwhatissoperaccidens,e。g。virtuethanluck(fortheformerinitself,andthelatterperaccidens,thecauseofgoodthings),andsoinothercasesofthesamekind。Likewisealsointhecaseofthecontrary;forwhatisinitselfthecauseofevilismoreobjectionablethanwhatissoperaccidens,e。g。viceandchance:
  fortheoneisbadinitself,whereaschanceissoperaccidens。
  Also,whatisgoodabsolutelyismoredesirablethanwhatisgoodforaparticularperson,e。g。recoveryofhealththanasurgicaloperation;fortheformerisgoodabsolutely,thelatteronlyforaparticularperson,viz。themanwhoneedsanoperation。Sotoowhatisgoodbynatureismoredesirablethanthegoodthatisnotsobynature,e。g。justicethanthejustman;fortheoneisgoodbynature,whereasintheothercasethegoodnessisacquired。Alsotheattributeismoredesirablewhichbelongstothebetterandmorehonourablesubject,e。g。toagodratherthantoaman,andtothesoulratherthantothebody。Sotoothepropertyofthebetterthingisbetterthanthepropertyoftheworse;e。g。thepropertyofGodthanthepropertyofman:forwhereasinrespectofwhatiscommoninbothofthemtheydonotdifferatallfromeachother,inrespectoftheirpropertiestheonesurpassestheother。Alsothatisbetterwhichisinherentinthingsbetterorpriorormorehonourable:thus(e。g。)
  healthisbetterthanstrengthandbeauty:fortheformerisinherentinthemoistandthedry,andthehotandthecold,infactinalltheprimaryconstituentsofananimal,whereastheothersareinherentinwhatissecondary,strengthbeingafeatureofthesinewsandbones,whilebeautyisgenerallysupposedtoconsistinacertainsymmetryofthelimbs。Alsotheendisgenerallysupposedtobemoredesirablethanthemeans,andoftwomeans,thatwhichliesnearertheend。Ingeneral,too,ameansdirectedtowardstheendoflifeismoredesirablethanameanstoanythingelse,e。g。thatwhichcontributestohappinessthanthatwhichcontributestoprudence。Alsothecompetentismoredesirablethantheincompetent。
  Moreover,oftwoproductiveagentsthatoneismoredesirablewhoseendisbetter;whilebetweenaproductiveagentandanendwecandecidebyaproportionalsumwhenevertheexcessoftheoneendovertheotherisgreaterthanthatofthelatteroveritsownproductivemeans:e。g。supposingtheexcessofhappinessoverhealthtobegreaterthanthatofhealthoverwhatproduceshealth,thenwhatproduceshappinessisbetterthanhealth。Forwhatproduceshappinessexceedswhatproduceshealthjustasmuchashappinessexceedshealth。Buthealthexceedswhatproduceshealthbyasmalleramount;ergo,theexcessofwhatproduceshappinessoverwhatproduceshealthisgreaterthanthatofhealthoverwhatproduceshealth。
  Clearly,therefore,whatproduceshappinessismoredesirablethanhealth:foritexceedsthesamestandardbyagreateramount。
  Moreover,whatisinitselfnoblerandmorepreciousandpraiseworthyismoredesirablethanwhatislessso,e。g。friendshipthanwealth,andjusticethanstrength。Fortheformerbelonginthemselvestotheclassofthingspreciousandpraiseworthy,whilethelatterdosonotinthemselvesbutforsomethingelse:fornooneprizeswealthforitselfbutalwaysforsomethingelse,whereasweprizefriendshipforitself,eventhoughnothingelseislikelytocometousfromit。
  2
  Moreover,whenevertwothingsareverymuchlikeoneanother,andwecannotseeanysuperiorityintheoneovertheotherofthem,weshouldlookatthemfromthestandpointoftheirconsequences。Fortheonewhichisfollowedbythegreatergoodisthemoredesirable:or,iftheconsequencesbeevil,thatismoredesirablewhichisfollowedbythelessevil。Forthoughbothmaybedesirable,yettheremaypossiblybesomeunpleasantconsequenceinvolvedtoturnthescale。Oursurveyfromthepointofviewofconsequencesliesintwodirections,fortherearepriorconsequencesandlaterconsequences:
  e。g。ifamanlearns,itfollowsthathewasignorantbeforeandknowsafterwards。Asarule,thelaterconsequenceisthebettertoconsider。Youshouldtake,therefore,whicheveroftheconsequencessuitsyourpurpose。
  Moreover,agreaternumberofgoodthingsismoredesirablethanasmaller,eitherabsolutelyorwhentheoneisincludedintheother,viz。thesmallernumberinthegreater。Anobjectionmayberaisedsupposeinsomeparticularcasetheoneisvaluedforthesakeoftheother;forthenthetwotogetherarenotmoredesirablethantheone;e。g。recoveryofhealthandhealth,thanhealthalone,inasmuchaswedesirerecoveryofhealthforthesakeofhealth。Alsoitisquitepossibleforwhatisnotgood,togetherwithwhatis,tobemoredesirablethanagreaternumberofgoodthings,e。g。thecombinationofhappinessandsomethingelsewhichisnotgoodmaybemoredesirablethanthecombinationofjusticeandcourage。Also,thesamethingsaremorevaluableifaccompaniedthanifunaccompaniedbypleasure,andlikewisewhenfreefrompainthanwhenattendedwithpain。
  Also,everythingismoredesirableattheseasonwhenitisofgreaterconsequence;e。g。freedomfrompaininoldagemorethaninyouth:foritisofgreaterconsequenceinoldage。Onthesameprinciplealso,prudenceismoredesirableinoldage;fornomanchoosestheyoungtoguidehim,becausehedoesnotexpectthemtobeprudent。Withcourage,theconverseisthecase,foritisinyouththattheactiveexerciseofcourageismoreimperativelyrequired。
  Likewisealsowithtemperance;fortheyoungaremoretroubledbytheirpassionsthanaretheirelders。
  Also,thatismoredesirablewhichismoreusefulateveryseasonoratmostseasons,e。g。justiceandtemperanceratherthancourage:
  fortheyarealwaysuseful,whilecourageisonlyusefulattimes。
  Also,thatoneoftwothingswhichifallpossess,wedonotneedtheotherthing,ismoredesirablethanthatwhichallmaypossessandstillwewanttheotheroneaswell。Takethecaseofjusticeandcourage;ifeverybodywerejust,therewouldbenouseforcourage,whereasallmightbecourageous,andstilljusticewouldbeofuse。
  Moreover,judgebythedestructionsandlossesandgenerationsandacquisitionsandcontrariesofthings:forthingswhosedestructionismoreobjectionablearethemselvesmoredesirable。Likewisealsowiththelossesandcontrariesofthings;forathingwhoselossorwhosecontraryismoreobjectionableisitselfmoredesirable。Withthegenerationsoracquisitionsofthingstheoppositeisthecase:forthingswhoseacquisitionorgenerationismoredesirablearethemselvesalsodesirable。Anothercommonplaceruleisthatwhatisnearertothegoodisbetterandmoredesirable,i。e。whatmorenearlyresemblesthegood:thusjusticeisbetterthanajustman。Also,thatwhichismorelikethananotherthingtosomethingbetterthanitself,ase。g。somesaythatAjaxwasabettermanthanOdysseusbecausehewasmorelikeAchilles。Anobjectionmayberaisedtothisthatitisnottrue:foritisquitepossiblethatAjaxdidnotresembleAchillesmorenearlythanOdysseusinthepointswhichmadeAchillesthebestofthem,andthatOdysseuswasagoodman,thoughunlikeAchilles。Lookalsotoseewhethertheresemblancebethatofacaricature,liketheresemblanceofamonkeytoaman,whereasahorsebearsnone:forthemonkeyisnotthemorehandsomecreature,despiteitsnearerresemblancetoaman。Again,inthecaseoftwothings,ifoneismorelikethebetterthingwhileanotherismoreliketheworse,thenthatislikelytobebetterwhichismorelikethebetter。Thistoo,however,admitsofanobjection:forquitepossiblytheoneonlyslightlyresemblesthebetter,whiletheotherstronglyresemblestheworse,e。g。supposingtheresemblanceofAjaxtoAchillestobeslight,whilethatofOdysseustoNestorisstrong。Alsoitmaybethattheonewhichislikethebettertypeshowsadegradinglikeness,whereastheonewhichisliketheworsetypeimprovesuponit:witnessthelikenessofahorsetoadonkey,andthatofamonkeytoaman。
  Anotherruleisthatthemoreconspicuousgoodismoredesirablethanthelessconspicuous,andthemoredifficultthantheeasier:forweappreciatebetterthepossessionofthingsthatcannotbeeasilyacquired。Alsothemorepersonalpossessionismoredesirablethanthemorewidelyshared。Also,thatwhichismorefreefromconnexionwithevil:forwhatisnotattendedbyanyunpleasantnessismoredesirablethanwhatissoattended。
  Moreover,ifAbewithoutqualificationbetterthanB,thenalsothebestofthemembersofAisbetterthanthebestofthemembersofB;e。g。ifManbebetterthanHorse,thenalsothebestmanisbetterthanthebesthorse。Also,ifthebestinAbebetterthanthebestinB,thenalsoAisbetterthanBwithoutqualification;
  e。g。ifthebestmanbebetterthanthebesthorse,thenalsoManisbetterthanHorsewithoutqualification。
  Moreover,thingswhichourfriendscansharearemoredesirablethanthosetheycannot。Also,thingswhichwelikerathertodotoourfriendaremoredesirablethanthoseweliketodotothemaninthestreet,e。g。justdealingandthedoingofgoodratherthanthesemblanceofthem:forwewouldratherreallydogoodtoourfriendsthanseemtodoso,whereastowardsthemaninthestreettheconverseisthecase。
  Also,superfluitiesarebetterthannecessities,andaresometimesmoredesirableaswell:forthegoodlifeisbetterthanmerelife,andgoodlifeisasuperfluity,whereasmerelifeitselfisanecessity。Sometimes,though,whatisbetterisnotalsomoredesirable:forthereisnonecessitythatbecauseitisbetteritshouldalsobemoredesirable:atleasttobeaphilosopherisbetterthantomakemoney,butitisnotmoredesirableforamanwholacksthenecessitiesoflife。Theexpression’superfluity’
  applieswheneveramanpossessesthenecessitiesoflifeandsetstoworktosecureaswellothernobleacquisitions。Roughlyspeaking,perhaps,necessitiesaremoredesirable,whilesuperfluitiesarebetter。
  Also,whatcannotbegotfromanotherismoredesirablethanwhatcanbegotfromanotheraswell,as(e。g。)isthecaseofjusticecomparedwithcourage。Also,AismoredesirableifAisdesirablewithoutB,butnotBwithoutA:power(e。g。)isnotdesirablewithoutprudence,butprudenceisdesirablewithoutpower。Also,ifoftwothingswerepudiatetheoneinordertobethoughttopossesstheother,thenthatoneismoredesirablewhichwewishtobethoughttopossess;thus(e。g。)werepudiatetheloveofhardworkinorderthatpeoplemaythinkusgeniuses。
  Moreover,thatismoredesirableinwhoseabsenceitislessblameworthyforpeopletobevexed;andthatismoredesirableinwhoseabsenceitismoreblameworthyforamannottobevexed。
  3
  Moreover,ofthingsthatbelongtothesamespeciesonewhichpossessesthepeculiarvirtueofthespeciesismoredesirablethanonewhichdoesnot。Ifbothpossessit,thentheonewhichpossessesitinagreaterdegreeismoredesirable。
  Moreover,ifonethingmakesgoodwhateverittouches,whileanotherdoesnot,theformerismoredesirable,justasalsowhatmakesthingswarmiswarmerthanwhatdoesnot。Ifbothdoso,thenthatoneismoredesirablewhichdoessoinagreaterdegree,orifitrendergoodthebetterandmoreimportantobject—if(e。g。),theonemakesgoodthesoul,andtheotherthebody。
  Moreover,judgethingsbytheirinflexionsandusesandactionsandworks,andjudgethesebythem:fortheygowitheachother:
  e。g。if’justly’meanssomethingmoredesirablethan’courageously’,thenalsojusticemeanssomethingmoredesirablethancourage;andifjusticebemoredesirablethancourage,thenalso’justly’meanssomethingmoredesirablethan’courageously’。Similarlyalsointheothercases。
  Moreover,ifonethingexceedswhiletheotherfallsshortofthesamestandardofgood,theonewhichexceedsisthemoredesirable;oriftheoneexceedsanevenhigherstandard。Naymore,iftherebetwothingsbothpreferabletosomething,theonewhichismorehighlypreferabletoitismoredesirablethanthelesshighlypreferable。Moreover,whentheexcessofathingismoredesirablethantheexcessofsomethingelse,thatthingisitselfalsomoredesirablethantheother,as(e。g。)friendshipthanmoney:foranexcessoffriendshipismoredesirablethananexcessofmoney。Soalsothatofwhichamanwouldratherthatitwerehisbyhisowndoingismoredesirablethanwhathewouldrathergetbyanother’sdoing,e。g。friendsthanmoney。Moreover,judgebymeansofanaddition,andseeiftheadditionofAtothesamethingasBmakesthewholemoredesirablethandoestheadditionofB。Youmust,however,bewareofadducingacaseinwhichthecommontermuses,orinsomeotherwayhelpsthecaseof,oneofthethingsaddedtoit,butnottheother,as(e。g。)ifyoutookasawandasickleincombinationwiththeartofcarpentry:forinthecombinationthesawisamoredesirablething,butitisnotamoredesirablethingwithoutqualification。Again,athingismoredesirableif,whenaddedtoalessergood,itmakesthewholegreatergood。Likewise,also,youshouldjudgebymeansofsubtraction:forthethinguponwhosesubtractiontheremainderisalessergoodmaybetakentobeagreatergood,whicheveritbewhosesubtractionmakestheremainderalessergood。
  Also,ifonethingbedesirableforitself,andtheotherforthelookofit,theformerismoredesirable,as(e。g。)healththanbeauty。Athingisdefinedasbeingdesiredforthelookofitif,supposingnooneknewofit,youwouldnotcaretohaveit。Also,itismoredesirablebothforitselfandforthelookofit,whiletheotherthingisdesirableontheonegroundalone。Also,whicheveristhemorepreciousforitself,isalsobetterandmoredesirable。A
  thingmaybetakentobemorepreciousinitselfwhichwechooseratherforitself,withoutanythingelsebeinglikelytocomeofit。
  Moreover,youshoulddistinguishinhowmanysenses’desirable’isused,andwithaviewtowhatends,e。g。expediencyorhonourorpleasure。Forwhatisusefulforallormostofthemmaybetakentobemoredesirablethanwhatisnotusefulinlikemanner。Ifthesamecharactersbelongtoboththingsyoushouldlookandseewhichpossessesthemmoremarkedly,i。e。whichofthetwoisthemorepleasantormorehonourableormoreexpedient。Again,thatismoredesirablewhichservesthebetterpurpose,e。g。thatwhichservestopromotevirtuemorethanthatwhichservestopromotepleasure。
  Likewisealsointhecaseofobjectionablethings;forthatismoreobjectionablewhichstandsmoreinthewayofwhatisdesirable,e。g。diseasemorethanugliness:fordiseaseisagreaterhindrancebothtopleasureandtobeinggood。
  Moreover,arguebyshowingthatthethinginquestionisinlikemeasureobjectionableanddesirable:forathingofsuchacharacterthatamanmightwelldesireandobjecttoitalikeislessdesirablethantheotherwhichisdesirableonly。