§3.13Ὅτι δʼ οὐχ οἷόν τε ἁπλοῦν εἶναι τὸ τοῦ ζῴου σῶμα, φανερόν, λέγω δʼ οἷον πύρινον ἢ ἀέρινον.
That it is not possible for the animal's body to be simple is clear—I mean, for instance, made of fire or of air.
ἄνευ μὲν γὰρ ἁρῆς οὐδεμίαν ἐνδέχεται ἄλλην αἴσθησιν ἔχειν· τὸ γὰρ σῶμα ἁπτικὸν τὸ ἔμψυχον πᾶν, ὥσπερ εἴρηται.
For without touch it is not possible to have any other sensation; for every ensouled body is capable of touch, as has been said.
τὰ δὲ ἄλλα ἔξω γῆς αἰσθητήρια μὲν ἂν γένοιτο, πάντα δὲ τῷ δἰ ἑτέρου αἰσθάνεσθαι ποιεῖ τὴν αἴσθησιν, καὶ διὰ τῶν μεταξύ.
The other sense organs, except for earth, could indeed become sense organs, but they all produce sensation by perceiving through something else, and through media.
ἡ δʼ ἁρὴ τῷ αὐτῶν ἅπτεσθαί ἐστιν, διὸ καὶ τοὔνομα τοῦτο ἔχει.
But touch is by touching the objects themselves, which is why it also has this name.
καίτοι καὶ τὰ ἄλλα αἰσθητήρια ἁφῇ αἰσθάνεται, ἀλλά δἰ ἑτέρου· αὕτη δὲ δοκεῖ μόνη δἰ αὑτῆς.
And yet, the other sense organs also perceive by touch, but through something else; whereas this one alone seems to perceive through itself.
ὥστε τῶν μὲν τοιούτων στοιχείων οὐθὲν ἂν εἴη σῶμα τοῦ ζῴου.
Consequently, the body of the animal could not be of any such elements.
οὐδὲ δὴ γήϊνον.
Nor indeed can it be earthen.
πάντων γὰρ ἡ ἁρὴ τῶν ἁπτῶν ἐστὶν. ὥσπερ μεσότης, καὶ δεκτικὸν τὸ αἰσθητήριον οὐ μόνον ὅσαι διαφοραὶ γῆς εἰσίν, ἀλλὰ καὶ θερμοῦ καὶ ψυχροῦ καὶ τῶν ἄλλων ἁπτῶν ἁπάντων.
For touch is directed toward all tangible things, being a sort of mean, and its organ is receptive not only of the differences of earth, but also of hot and cold and all other tangible qualities.
καὶ διὰ τοῦτο τοῖς ὀστοῖς καὶ ταῖς θριξὶ καὶ τοῖς τοιούτοις μορίοις οὐκ αἰσθανόμεθα, ὅτι γῆς ἐστίν, καὶ τὰ φυτὰ διὰ τοῦτο οὐδεμίαν ἔχει αἴσθησιν, ὅτι γῆς ἐστίν.
And for this reason we do not perceive with our bones and hair and such parts, because they are made of earth; and plants for this reason have no sensation, because they are made of earth.
ἄνευ δὲ ἁρῆς οὐδεμίαν οἷόν τε ἄλλην ὑπάρχειν, τοῦτο δὲ τὸ αἰσθητήριον οὐκ ἔστιν οὔτε γῆς οὔτε ἄλλου τῶν στοιχείων οὐδενός.
But without touch it is not possible for any other sensation to exist, and this sense organ is neither of earth nor of any other of the elements.
φανερὸν τοίνυν ὅτι ἀνάγκη μόνης ταύτης στερισκόμενα τῆς αἰσθήσεως τὰ ζῷα ἀποθντήσκειν·
It is clear, then, that it is necessary for animals, when deprived of this sensation alone, to die.
οὔτε γὰρ ταύτην ἔχειν οἷόν τε μὴ ζῷον ὄν, οὔτε ζῷον ὂν ἄλλην ἔχειν ἀνάγκη πλὴν ταύτην.
For it is neither possible for a non-animal to have this, nor is it necessary for something that is an animal to have any other sense than this.
καὶ διὰ τοῦτο τὰ μὲν ἄλλα αἰσθητὰ ταῖς ὑπερβολαῖς οὐ διαφθείρει τὸ ζῷον, οἷον χρῶμα καὶ φόρος καὶ ὀσμή, ἀλλὰ μόνον τὰ αἰσθητήρια, ἂν μὴ κατὰ συμβεβηκός, οἶον ἂν ἅμα τῷ ψόφῳ ὦσις γένηται καὶ πληγή· καὶ ὑπὸ ὁραμάτων καὶ ὀσμῆς ἕτερα κινεῖται, ἃ τῇ ὁφῇ φθείρει.
And for this reason, excesses in other sensible objects, such as color, sound, and smell, do not destroy the animal, but only the sense organs, unless by coincidence, as for instance if a pushing and a blow should occur along with the sound; and other things are moved by visible objects and smell, which destroy by touch.
καὶ ὁ χυμὸς δὲ ᾗ ἅμα συμβαίνει ἁπτικὸν εἶναι, ταύτῃ φθείρει.
And flavor also, in so far as it happens to be at the same time tangible, destroys in this respect.
ἡ δὲ τῶν ἁπτῶν ὑπερβολή, οἷον θερμῶν καὶ ψυχρῶν καὶ σκληρῶν, ἀναιρεῖ τὸ ζῷον· παντὸς μὲν γὰρ ὑπερβολὴ αἰσθτητοῦ ἀναιρεῖ τὸ αἰσθητήριον, ὥστε καὶ τὸ ἁπτὸν τὴν ἁφήν, ταύτῃ δὲ ὥρισται τὸ ζῷον·
But the excess of tangible objects, such as hot, cold, and hard things, destroys the animal; for excess of any sensible object destroys the sense organ, so that the tangible also destroys touch, and by this sensation the animal is defined.
ἄνευ γὰρ ἁφῆς δέδεικται ὅτι ἀδύνατον εἶναι ζῷον.
For it has been shown that without touch it is impossible for an animal to exist.
διὸ ἡ τῶν ἁπτῶν ὑπερβολὴ οὐ μόνον τὸ αἰσθητήριον φθείρει, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸ ζῷον, ὅτι ἀνάγκη μόνην ἔχειν ταύτην.
Therefore, the excess of tangible things not only destroys the sense organ but also the animal, because it must of necessity have this sensation alone.
τὰς δʼ ἄλλας αἰσθήσεις ἔχει τὸ ζῴον, ὥσπερ εἴρηται, οὐ τοῦ εἶναι ἕνεκα ἀλλὰ τοῦ εὖ, οἷον ὄψιν, ἐπεὶ ἐν ἀέρι καὶ ὕδατι, ὅπως ὁρᾷ, ὅλως δʼ ἐπεὶ ἐν διαφανεῖ, γεῦσιν δὲ διὰ τὸ ἡδὺ καὶ λυπηρόν, ἵνα αἰσθάνηται τὸ ἐν τροφῇ καὶ ἐπιθυμῇ καὶ κινῆται, ἀκοὴν δὲ ὅπως σημαίνηταί τι αὐτῷ.
But the other senses the animal has, as has been said, not for the sake of being but for the sake of well-being; for instance, sight, since it is in air and water, so that it may see, and generally since it is in the transparent; and taste because of the pleasant and the painful, so that it may perceive what is in food and desire it and be moved; and hearing so that something may be signaled to it.