Tag: Simplicius

Agenēton

Nothing

Καὶ Μέλισσος δὲ τὸ ἀγένητον τοῦ ὄντος ἔδειξε τῷ κοινῷ τούτῳ χρησάμενος ἀξιώματι. γράφει δὲ οὕτως· “ἀεὶ ἦν ὅ τι ἦν καὶ ἀεὶ ἔσται. εἰ γὰρ ἐγένετο, ἀναγκαῖόν ἐστι πρὶν γενέσθαι εἶναι μηδέν. † εἰ τύχοι νῦν μηδὲν ἦν, οὐδαμὰ ἂν γένοιτο οὐδὲν ἐκ μηδενός.” [Melissus, fr.  B 1]
[Simplicius, In Aristotelis Physicorum Libros Commentarium 162.23-26]

Melissus also demonstrated the ungenerability of what is by using this common principle. He writes as follows: “What was, always was, and always will be. For if it came to be, it is necessary that before it came to be there was nothing. Now if there was nothing, in no way could anything come to be from nothing.” (tr. Pamela Huby & Christopher Charles Whiston Taylor)

Aëra

bDA5uoO

Καὶ ἐφεξῆς δείκνυσιν ὅτι καὶ τὸ σπέρμα τῶν ζῴων πνευματῶδές ἐστι καὶ νοήσεις γίνονται τοῦ ἀέρος σὺν τῷ αἵματι τὸ ὅλον σῶμα καταλαμβάνοντος διὰ τῶν φλεβῶν, ἐν οἷς καὶ ἀνατομὴν ἀκριβῆ τῶν φλεβῶν παραδίδωσιν. ἐν δὴ τούτοις σαφῶς φαίνεται λέγων, ὅτι ὃν ἄνθρωποι λέγουσιν ἀέρα, τοῦτό ἐστιν ἡ ἀρχή. θαυμαστὸν δὲ ὅτι, κατὰ ἑτεροίωσιν τὴν ἀπ’ αὐτοῦ λέγων τὰ ἄλλα γίνεσθαι, ἀίδιον ὅμως αὐτό φησι λέγων· “καὶ αὐτὸ μὲν τοῦτο καὶ ἀίδιον καὶ ἀθάνατον σῶμα, τῶν δὲ τὰ μὲν γίνεται, τὰ δὲ ἀπολείπει”, καὶ ἐν ἄλλοις· “ἀλλὰ τοῦτό μοι δῆλον δοκεῖ εἶναι, ὅτι καὶ μέγα καὶ ἰσχυρὸν καὶ ἀΐδιόν τε καὶ ἀθάνατον καὶ πολλὰ εἰδός ἐστι.” [Diogenes of Apollonia, fr. B 6-8]
(Simplicius, In Aristotelis Physicorum Libros Commentarium 153.16-22)

Next he* shows that the seed of animals is breathy, and that thoughts come about when air occupies the whole body along with blood through the veins, and in so doing he gives an accurate anatomical description of the veins. In this he plainly states that the principle is what people call air. It is surprising that, while saying that the other things come to be by differentiation from it, he nonetheless says that it is eternal, in these words: “This very thing is an eternal and immortal body, and by it things come to be and pass away”, and elsewhere: “But this seems clear to me, that it is great and strong and eternal and immortal and multiple in form.”

* Diogenes of Apollonia.

(tr. Pamela Huby & Christopher Charles Whiston Taylor)

Misokalos

evil02

Ἀλλὰ σκληρὸν ἴσως καὶ ἀδύνατον δόξει τισὶ τὸ ἐπίταγμα, τὸ θέλειν γίνεσθαι τὰ γινόμενα ὡς γίνεται. τίς γὰρ τῶν εὖ φρονούντων ἀνθρώπων ἐθέλει γίνεσθαι ἢ τὰ κοινὰ κακὰ ἀπὸ τοῦ παντὸς συμβαίνοντα, οἷον σεισμοὺς καὶ κατακλυσμοὺς καὶ ἐκπτώσεις, λοιμούς τε καὶ λιμοὺς καὶ φθορὰς παντοίων ζῴων τε καὶ καρπῶν, ἢ τὰ ἀπὸ ἀνθρώπων ἀνοσίως εἰς ἀλλήλους επιτελούμενα, πόλεων ἁλώσεις καὶ αἰχμαλωτισμοὺς καὶ φόνους ἀδίκους καὶ λῃστείας καὶ ἁρπαγὰς καὶ ἀκολασίας καὶ τυραννικὰς βίας μέχρι καὶ τοῦ ἀσεβεῖν ἀναγκαζούσας, ἔτι δὲ παιδείας καὶ φιλοσοφίας ἀπώλειαν, ἀρετῆς τε πάσης καὶ φιλίας καὶ τῆς πρὸς ἀλλήλους πίστεως, καὶ τεχνῶν πασῶν καὶ ἐπιστημῶν, διὰ πολλῶν χρόνων εὑρεθεισῶν τε καὶ βεβαιωθεισῶν, τῶν μὲν παντελῆ ἀφανισμόν, ὡς μόνα τὰ ὀνόματα αὐτῶν μνημονεύεσθαι, τῶν δὲ τεχνῶν τῶν πολλῶν τῶν πρὸς βοήθειαν ἡμῖν τοῦ βίου παρὰ θεοῦ δοθεισῶν, οἷον ἰατρικῆς καὶ οἰκοδομικῆς καὶ τεκτονικῆς καὶ τῶν τοιούτων, σκιὰς μόνας καὶ εἴδωλα περιλελεῖφθαι; ταῦτα οὖν καὶ τὰ τοιαῦτα ἐν τῷ βίῳ τῷ καθ’ ἡμᾶς περιττεύσαντα τίς ἀκούειν ἐθέλει, οὐ λέγω καὶ ὁρᾶν καὶ μετέχειν αὐτῶν καὶ θέλειν γίνεσθαι αὐτά, εἰ μὴ κακοθελής τις εἴη καὶ μισόκαλος ἄνθρωπος;
(Simplicius, Comm. in Ench. Epict. 14.18-35 Hadot)

But perhaps this injunction to ‘wish for it to happen as it happens’ will seem to some people to be harsh and impossible. What right-thinking human being wishes for the occurrence of the widespread bad effects resulting from the universe—for instance, earthquakes, deluges, conflagrations, plagues, famine and the destruction of all sorts of animals and crops? Or the impious deeds performed by some human beings on others—the sacking of cities, taking prisoners of war, unjust killings, piracy, kidnapping, licentiousness, and tyrannical force, culminating in compelled acts of impiety? Still less the loss of culture and philosophy, of all virtue and friendship, and of faith in one another? As for all the crafts and sciences discovered and made secure through long ages, some of them have completely disappeared, so that only their names are remembered, and there are only shadows and figments left behind of many of the arts given by the gods for our assistance in life (e.g. medicine, housebuilding, carpentry and the like). These things and others of this sort—of which there has been an excess in our own lifetime—who would want to hear of them, let alone see them, take part in them or ‘wish them to happen as they happen’, except a malevolent person and a hater of all that is fine? (tr. Charles Brittain & Tad Brennan)