Authors/Aristotle/priora/Liber 1/C30

Chapter 30

Greek	Latin	English
		30
46a3 Ἡ μὲν οὖν ὁδὸς κατὰ πάντων ἡ αὐτὴ καὶ περὶ φιλοσοφίαν καὶ περὶ τέχνην ὁποιανοῦν καὶ μάθημα· δεῖ γὰρ τὰ ὑπάρχοντα καὶ οἷς ὑπάρχει περὶ ἑκάτερον ἀθρεῖν, καὶ τούτων ὡς πλείστων εὐπορεῖν, καὶ ταῦτα διὰ τῶν τριῶν ὅρων σκοπεῖν, ἀνασκευάζοντα μὲν ὡδί, κατασκευάζοντα δὲ ὡδί, κατὰ μὲν ἀλήθειαν ἐκ τῶν κατ᾽ ἀλήθειαν διαγεγραμμένων ὑπάρχειν, εἰς δὲ τοὺς διαλεκτικοὺς συλλογισμοὺς ἐκ τῶν κατὰ δόξαν προτάσεων.	(0674A) Ergo methodus quidem de omnibus eadem est, et circa philosophiam, et circa autem quamlibet disciplinam. Oportet enim quae insunt, et quibus insunt circa unumquodque colligere, et his quamplurimis abundare, et hoc per tres terminos considerare, destruentem quidem sic, construentem vero sic, et secundum veritatem quidem, ex iis quae secundum veritatem scripta sunt inesse, ad dialecticos autem syllogismos, ex propositionibus quae sunt secundum opinionem.	The method is the same in all cases, in philosophy, in any art or study. We must look for the attributes and the subjects of both our terms, and we must supply ourselves with as many of these as possible, and consider them by means of the three terms, refuting statements in one way, confirming them in another, in the pursuit of truth starting from premisses in which the arrangement of the terms is in accordance with truth, while if we look for dialectical syllogisms we must start from probable premisses.
αἱ δ᾽ ἀρχαὶ τῶν συλλογισμῶν καθόλου μὲν εἴρηνται, ὃν τρόπον τ᾽ ἔχουσι καὶ ὃν τρόπον δεῖ θηρεύειν αὐτάς, ὅπως μὴ βλέπωμεν εἰς ἅπαντα τὰ λεγόμενα, μηδ᾽ εἰς ταὐτὰ κατασκευάζοντες καὶ ἀνασκευάζοντες, μηδὲ κατασκευάζοντές τε κατὰ παντὸς ἢ τινὸς καὶ ἀνασκευάζον τες ἀπὸ πάντων ἢ τινῶν, ἀλλ᾽ εἰς ἐλάττω καὶ ὡρισμένα, καθ᾽ ἕκαστον δὲ ἐκλέγειν τῶν ὄντων, οἷον περὶ ἀγαθοῦ ἢ ἐπιστήμης. ἴδιαι δὲ καθ᾽ ἑκάστην αἱ πλεῖσται. διὸ τὰς μὲν ἀρχὰς τὰς περὶ ἕκαστον ἐμπειρίας ἐστὶ παραδοῦναι, λέγω δ᾽ οἷον τὴν ἀστρολογικὴν μὲν ἐμπειρίαν τῆς ἀστρολογι κῆς ἐπιστήμης (ληφθέντων γὰρ ἱκανῶς τῶν φαινομένων οὕτως εὑρέθησαν αἱ ἀστρολογικαὶ ἀποδείξεισ),	Principia autem syllogismorum universaliter quidem dicta sunt, et quomodo se habeant, et quomodo oportet inquirere ea, quatenus non aspiciamus ad omnia quae dicuntur, neque eadem construentes et destruentes, neque construentes de omni aut de aliquo, destruentes ab omnibus aut ab aliquibus, sed ad pauciora et determinata. (0674B) Secundum singulum autem eorum quae sunt eligere, ut de bono aut disciplina. Propria autem in unaquaque sunt plurima, quare principia quidem quae sunt circa unumquodque, experimento est crescere, dico autem ut astrologicam quidem experientiam astrologicae disciplinae, sumptis enim sufficienter apparentibus, sic inventae sunt astrologicae demonstrationes.	The principles of syllogisms have been stated in general terms, both how they are characterized and how we must hunt for them, so as not to look to everything that is said about the terms of the problem or to the same points whether we are confirming or refuting, or again whether we are confirming of all or of some, and whether we are refuting of all or some. we must look to fewer points and they must be definite. We have also stated how we must select with reference to everything that is, e.g. about good or knowledge. But in each science the principles which are peculiar are the most numerous. Consequently it is the business of experience to give the principles which belong to each subject. I mean for example that astronomical experience supplies the principles of astronomical science: for once the phenomena were adequately apprehended, the demonstrations of astronomy were discovered.
ὁμοίως δὲ καὶ περὶ ἄλλην ὁποιανοῦν ἔχει τέχνην τε καὶ ἐπιστήμην· ὥστ᾽ ἐὰν ληφθῆι τὰ ὑπάρχοντα περὶ ἕκαστον, ἡμέτερον ἤδη τὰς ἀποδείξεις ἑτοίμως ἐμφανίζειν. εἰ γὰρ μηδὲν κατὰ τὴν ἱστορίαν παρα λειφθείη τῶν ἀληθῶς ὑπαρχόντων τοῖς πράγμασιν, ἕξομεν περὶ ἅπαντος οὗ μὲν ἔστιν ἀπόδειξις, ταύτην εὑρεῖν καὶ ἀποδεικνύναι, οὗ δὲ μὴ πέφυκεν ἀπόδειξις, τοῦτο ποιεῖν φανερόν.	Similiter autem et circa quamlibet aliam se habet et artem et disciplinam. Quare si sumantur quae insunt circa unumquodque, nostrum erit iam demonstrationes prompte declarare: si enim nihil secundum historiam omittatur eorum quae subtiliter et vere insunt rebus, habebimus de omni (cuius quidem non est demonstratio) hanc invenire et demonstrare, cuius autem non nata est demonstratio, hoc facere manifestum.	Similarly with any other art or science. Consequently, if the attributes of the thing are apprehended, our business will then be to exhibit readily the demonstrations. For if none of the true attributes of things had been omitted in the historical survey, we should be able to discover the proof and demonstrate everything which admitted of proof, and to make that clear, whose nature does not admit of proof.
Καθόλου μὲν οὖν, ὃν δεῖ τρόπον τὰς προτάσεις ἐκλέγειν, εἴρηται σχεδόν· δι᾽ ἀκριβείας δὲ διεληλύθαμεν ἐν τῆι πραγματείαι τῆι περὶ τὴν διαλεκτικήν.	(0674C) Universaliter ergo quo oportet modo propositiones eligere pene dictum est, per diligentiam autem pertransivimus in eo negotio quod circa dialecticam est.	In general then we have explained fairly well how we must select premisses: we have discussed the matter accurately in the treatise concerning dialectic.