- Source
- Aristotle. Aristotelis Ars Rhetorica. Ross, William David, editor. Oxford: Clarendon Press,1959 (printing).
- Translation
- AI-generated (gemini-3.5-flash) — machine translation; may contain errors
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- 日本語 · English · 简体中文 · 한국어
- CTS URN
- urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0086.tlg038.humanitext-grc2:2.26.1-2.26.5
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-10-27
Aristotle argues that magnifying and minimizing are not elements but themselves types of enthymemes, and that refutative enthymemes and objections do not form separate classes; he then concludes Book 2 and announces the transition to Book 3 on style and arrangement.
τὸ δʼ αὔξειν καὶ μειοῦν1 οὐκ ἔστιν ἐνθυμήματος στοιχεῖον· τὸ γὰρ αὐτὸ λέγω στοιχεῖον καὶ τόπον· ἔστιν γὰρ στοιχεῖον καὶ τόπος εἰς ὃ πολλὰ ἐνθυμήματα ἐμπίπτει. τὸ δʼ αὔξειν καὶ μειοῦν ἐστὶν ἐνθυμήματα πρὸς τὸ δεῖξαι ὅτι μέγα ἢ μικρόν, ὥσπερ καὶ ὅτι ἀγαθὸν ἢ κακόν,2 ἢ δίκαιον ἢ ἄδικον, καὶ τῶν ἄλλων ὁτιοῦν.
But magnifying and minimizing are not elements of an enthymeme; for I call element and topic the same thing; for an element and a topic is that into which many enthymemes fall. But magnifying and minimizing are enthymemes for showing that something is great or small, just as showing that it is good or bad, or just or unjust, or any other of such things.
ταῦτα δʼ ἐστὶν πάντα περὶ ἃ οἱ συλλογισμοὶ καὶ τὰ ἐνθυμήματα, ὥστʼ εἰ μηδὲ τούτων ἕκαστον ἐνθυμήματος τόπος, οὐδὲ τὸ αὔξειν καὶ μειοῦν.3
And all these are the subjects about which syllogisms and enthymemes are concerned, so that if none of these is a topic of an enthymeme, neither is magnifying and minimizing.
οὐδὲ τὰ λυτικὰ ἐνθυμήματος εἶδός τί ἐστιν· δῆλον γὰρ ὅτι λύει μὲν ἢ δείξας ἢ ἔνστασιν ἐνεγκών, ἀνταποδείκνυσι δὲ τὸ ἀντικείμενον,4 οἷον εἰ ἔδειξε ὅτι γέγονεν, οὗτος ὅτι οὐ γέγονεν, εἰ δὲ ὅτι οὐ γέγονεν, οὗτος ὅτι γέγονεν· ὥστε αὕτη μὲν οὐκ ἂν εἴη διαφορά (τοῖς αὐτοῖς γὰρ χρῶνται ἀμφότεροι· ὅτι γὰρ οὐκ ἔστιν ἢ ἔστιν, ἐνθυμήματα φέρουσιν)·
Nor are refutative enthymemes any special kind; for it is clear that one refutes either by proving or by bringing an objection, and one counter-proves the opposite, for instance, if one has proved that a thing has happened, the other proves that it has not, and if one has proved that it has not happened, the other proves that it has. So this would not be a difference (for both use the same means; for they bring forward enthymemes to show that something is or is not);
ἡ δʼ ἔνστασις οὐκ ἔστιν ἐνθύμημα, ἀλλά, καθάπερ ἐν τοῖς Τοπικοῖς, τὸ εἰπεῖν δόξαν τινὰ ἐξ ἧς ἔσται δῆλον ὅτι οὐ συλλελόγισται ἢ ὅτι ψεῦδός τι εἴληφεν.
but an objection is not an enthymeme, but, just as in the *Topics*, it is the stating of some opinion from which it will be clear that there has been no valid deduction, or that some falsehood has been assumed.
ἐπεὶ δὲ τρία ἔστιν ἃ δεῖ πραγματευθῆναι περὶ τὸν λόγον, ὑπὲρ μὲν παραδειγμάτων καὶ γνωμῶν καὶ ἐνθυμημάτων καὶ ὅλως τῶν περὶ τὴν διάνοιαν, ὅθεν τε εὐπορήσομεν καὶ ὡς αὐτὰ λύσομεν, εἰρήσθω ἡμῖν τοσαῦτα, λοιπὸν δὲ διελθεῖν περὶ λέξεως καὶ τάξεως.5
And since there are three things that must be treated concerning speech, regarding examples, maxims, enthymemes, and in general everything concerning the thought, both from what sources we shall be well provided with them and how we shall refute them, let so much have been said by us; and what remains is to discuss style and arrangement.
- 1403aτὸ δʼ αὔξειν καὶ μειοῦν
The infinitives with the neuter article 'magnifying and minimizing' serve as the subject. They are construed with the singular verb οὐκ ἔστιν (and later ἐστὶν) as a single concept or coordinated under a single article.
- 1403a20ὥσπερ καὶ ὅτι ἀγαθὸν ἢ κακόν
The prepositional phrase with the articular infinitive πρὸς τὸ δεῖξαι is understood from the preceding clause: 'just as [to show] that it is good or bad.'
- 1403a20οὐδὲ τὸ αὔξειν καὶ μειοῦν
This is the apodosis of the conditional sentence. The phrase [ἐνθυμήματος τόπος ἐστίν] (is an enthymeme's topic) must be supplied at the end.
- 1403a25ἀνταποδείκνυσι δὲ τὸ ἀντικείμενον
The subject of ἀνταποδείκνυσι (counter-proves), which is parallel to λύει (refutes), is the refuter (ὁ λύων). This describes the process of establishing a counter-syllogism to prove the opposite conclusion of the opponent's argument.
- 1403b1λοιπὸν δὲ διελθεῖν περὶ λέξεως καὶ τάξεως
λοιπόν is a neuter singular adjective used substantively, with [ἐστίν] omitted impersonally. The infinitive διελθεῖν depends on it, meaning 'it remains to discuss.' This marks the transition to the topics of Book 3 (style and arrangement).