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on sophistical refutations-第13部分

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neither good nor evil。 Also; since everything is the same as itself



and different from anything else; inasmuch as the man who answers



double questions simply can be made to say that several things are



'the same' not as other things but 'as themselves'; and also that they



are different from themselves; it follows that the same things must be



both the same as and different from themselves。 Moreover; if what is



good becomes evil while what is evil is good; then they must both



become two。 So of two unequal things each being equal to itself; it



will follow that they are both equal and unequal to themselves。



  Now these refutations fall into the province of other solutions as



well: for 'both' and 'all' have more than one meaning; so that the



resulting affirmation and denial of the same thing does not occur;



except verbally: and this is not what we meant by a refutation。 But it



is clear that if there be not put a single question on a number of



points; but the answerer has affirmed or denied one attribute only



of one subject only; the absurdity will not come to pass。







                                31







  With regard to those who draw one into repeating the same thing a



number of times; it is clear that one must not grant that predications



of relative terms have any meaning in abstraction by themselves;



e。g。 that 'double' is a significant term apart from the whole phrase



'double of half' merely on the ground that it figures in it。 For ten



figures in 'ten minus one' and in 'not do'; and generally the



affirmation in the negation; but for all that; suppose any one were to



say; 'This is not white'; he does not say that it is white。 The bare



word 'double'; one may perhaps say; has not even any meaning at all;



any more than has 'the' in 'the half': and even if it has a meaning;



yet it has not the same meaning as in the combination。 Nor is



'knowledge' the same thing in a specific branch of it (suppose it;



e。g。 to be 'medical knowledge') as it is in general: for in general it



was the 'knowledge of the knowable'。 In the case of terms that are



predicated of the terms through which they are defined; you should say



the same thing; that the term defined is not the same in abstraction



as it is in the whole phrase。 For 'concave' has a general meaning



which is the same in the case of a snub nose; and of a bandy leg;



but when added to either substantive nothing prevents it from



differentiating its meaning; in fact it bears one sense as applied



to the nose; and another as applied to the leg: for in the former



connexion it means 'snub' and in the latter 'bandyshaped'; i。e。 it



makes no difference whether you say 'a snub nose' or 'a concave nose'。



Moreover; the expression must not be granted in the nominative case:



for it is a falsehood。 For snubness is not a concave nose but



something (e。g。 an affection) belonging to a nose: hence; there is



no absurdity in supposing that the snub nose is a nose possessing



the concavity that belongs to a nose。







                                32







  With regard to solecisms; we have previously said what it is that



appears to bring them about; the method of their solution will be



clear in the course of the arguments themselves。 Solecism is the



result aimed at in all arguments of the following kind: 'Is a thing



truly that which you truly call it?' 'Yes'。 'But; speaking of a stone;



you call him real: therefore of a stone it follows that 〃him is



real〃。' No: rather; talking of a stone means not saying which' but



'whom'; and not 'that' but 'him'。 If; then; any one were to ask; 'Is a



stone him whom you truly call him?' he would be generally thought



not to be speaking good Greek; any more than if he were to ask; 'Is he



what you call her?' Speak in this way of a 'stick' or any neuter word;



and the difference does not break out。 For this reason; also; no



solecism is incurred; suppose any one asks; 'Is a thing what you say



it to be?' 'Yes'。 'But; speaking of a stick; you call it real:



therefore; of a stick it follows that it is real。' 'Stone'; however;



and 'he' have masculine designations。 Now suppose some one were to



ask; 'Can 〃he〃 be a she〃 (a female)?'; and then again; 'Well; but is



not he Coriscus?' and then were to say; 'Then he is a 〃she〃;' he has



not proved the solecism; even if the name 'Coriscus' does signify a



'she'; if; on the other hand; the answerer does not grant this: this



point must be put as an additional question: while if neither is it



the fact nor does he grant it; then the sophist has not proved his



case either in fact or as against the person he has been



questioning。 In like manner; then; in the above instance as well it



must be definitely put that 'he' means the stone。 If; however; this



neither is so nor is granted; the conclusion must not be stated:



though it follows apparently; because the case (the accusative);



that is really unlike; appears to be like the nominative。 'Is it



true to say that this object is what you call it by name?' 'Yes'。 'But



you call it by the name of a shield: this object therefore is 〃of a



shield〃。' No: not necessarily; because the meaning of 'this object' is



not 'of a shield' but 'a shield': 'of a shield' would be the meaning



of 'this object's'。 Nor again if 'He is what you call him by name';



while 'the name you call him by is Cleon's'; is he therefore



'Cleon's': for he is not 'Cleon's'; for what was said was that 'He;



not his; is what I call him by name'。 For the question; if put in



the latter way; would not even be Greek。 'Do you know this?' 'Yes。'



'But this is he: therefore you know he'。 No: rather 'this' has not the



same meaning in 'Do you know this?' as in 'This is a stone'; in the



first it stands for an accusative; in the second for a nominative



case。 'When you have understanding of anything; do you understand it?'



'Yes。' 'But you have understanding of a stone: therefore you



understand of a stone。' No: the one phrase is in the genitive; 'of a



stone'; while the other is in the accusative; 'a stone': and what



was granted was that 'you understand that; not of that; of which you



have understanding'; so that you understand not 'of a stone'; but 'the



stone'。



  Thus that arguments of this kind do not prove solecism but merely



appear to do so; and both why they so appear and how you should meet



them; is clear from what has been said。







                                33







  We must also observe that of all the arguments aforesaid it is



easier with some to see why and where the reasoning leads the hearer



astray; while with others it is more difficult; though often they



are the same arguments as the former。 For we must call an argument the



same if it depends upon the same point; but the same argument is apt



to be thought by some to depend on diction; by others on accident; and



by others on something else; because each of them; when worked with



different terms; is not so clear as it was。 Accordingly; just as in



fallacies that depend on ambiguity; which are generally thought to



be the silliest form of fallacy; some are clear even to the man in the



street (for humorous phrases nearly all depend on diction; e。g。 'The



man got the cart down from the stand'; and 'Where are you bound?'



'To the yard arm'; and 'Which cow will calve afore?' 'Neither; but



both behind;' and 'Is the North wind clear?' 'No; indeed; for it has



murdered the beggar and the merchant。〃 Is he a Good enough…King?' 'No;



indeed; a Rob…son': and so with the great majority of the rest as



well); while others appear to elude the most expert (and it is a



symptom of this that they often fight about their terms; e。g。



whether the meaning of 'Being' and 'One' is the same in all their



applications or different; for some think that 'Being' and 'One'



mean the same; while others solve the argument of Zeno and



Parmenides by asserting that 'One' and 'Being' are used in a number of



senses); likewise also as regards fallacies of Accident and each of



the other types; some of the arguments will be easier to see while



others are more difficult; also to grasp to which class a fallacy



belongs; and whether it is a refutation or not a refutation; is not



equally easy in all cases。



  An incisive argument is one which produces the greatest



perplexity: for this is the one with the sharpest fang。 Now perplexity



is twofold; one which occurs in reasoned arguments; respecting which



of the propositions asked one is to demolish; and the other in



contentious arguments; respecting the manner in which one is to assent



to what is propounded。 Therefore it is in syllogistic arguments that



the more incisive ones produce the keenest heart…searching。 Now a



syllogistic argument is most incisive if from premisses that are as



generally accepted as possible it demolishes a conclusion that is



accepted as generally as possible。 For the one argument; if the



contradictory is changed about; makes all the resulting syllogisms



alike in character: for always from premisses that are generally



accepted it will prove a conclusion; negative or positive as the



case may be; that is just as generally accepted; and therefore one



is bound to feel perplexed。 An argument; then; of this kind is the



most incisive; viz。 the one that puts its conclusion on all fours with



the propositions asked; and second comes the one that argues from



premisses; all of which are equally convincing: for this will



produce an equal perplexity as to what kind of premiss; of those



asked; one should demolish。 Herein is a difficulty: for one must



demolish something; but what one must demolish is uncertain。 Of



contentious arguments; on the other hand; the most incisive is the one



which; in t
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