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The saying of Protagoras is like the views we have mentioned; |
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That nothing comes to be out of that which is not, but everything
out of that which is, is a dogma common to nearly all the natural
philosophers. |
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But to attend equally to the opinions and the fancies of disputing
parties is childish; |
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In general, it is absurd to make the fact that the things of this
earth are observed to change and never to remain in the same state,
the basis of our judgement about the truth. |
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Further, if there is movement, there is also something moved, and
everything is moved out of something and into something; |
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And if the things of this earth continuously flow and move in respect
of quantity - if one were to suppose this, although it is not true - why
should they not endure in respect of quality? |
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Further, when the doctor orders people to take some particular food,
why do they take it? |
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Again, if we are always changing and never remain the same, what
wonder is it if to us, as to the sick, things never appear the same? |
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As for those to whom the difficulties mentioned are suggested by
reasoning, it is not easy to solve the difficulties to their satisfaction,
unless they will posit something and no longer demand a reason for
it; |
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It is manifest, therefore, from these arguments that contradictory
statements cannot be truly made about the same subject at one time,
nor can contrary statements, because every contrariety depends on
privation. |
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Similarly, no intermediate between contraries can be predicated of
one and the same subject, of which one of the contraries is predicated. |
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We could not be right, then, in accepting the views either of Heraclitus
or of Anaxagoras. |
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created 1996/11/25 modified 2009/04/26