Humanitext Reader

Aristotle · Great Ethics §1.16.1-1.16.2

Voluntariness as Associated with Thought

Passage 18 of 71 · Greek

Summary

The author argues that voluntary action is characterized by being accompanied by thought, distinguishing it from involuntary actions and illustrating this with the legal case of a woman acquitted of homicide after administering a fatal love potion without malicious intent.

§1.16.1ἐπεὶ δὲ τὸ ἑκούστον ἐν οὐδεμιᾷ ὁρμῇ ἐστίν, λοιπὸν ἂν εἴη τὸ ἐκ διανοίας γιγνόμενον.
Since the voluntary does not consist in any impulse, what remains would be that which comes about from thought.
τὸ γὰρ ἀκούσιόν ἐστι τό τε κατʼ ἀνάγκην καὶ κατὰ βίαν γιγνόμενον, καὶ τρίτον ὃ μὴ μετὰ διανοίας γίγνεται.
For the involuntary is that which comes about both by necessity and by force, and thirdly, that which does not come about with thought.
δῆλον δʼ ἐστὶ τοῦτο ἐκ τῶν γιγνομένων.
This is clear from actual occurrences.
ὅταν γάρ τις πατάξῃ τινὰ ἢ ἀποκτείνῃ ἢ τι τῶν τοιούτων ποιήσῃ μηδὲν προδιανοηθείς, ἄκοντά φαμεν ποιῆσαι, ὡς τοῦ ἑκουσίου ὄντος ἐν τῷ διανοηθῆναι.
For whenever someone strikes or kills another, or does anything of that sort, without any prior thought, we say that he did it involuntarily, on the ground that the voluntary consists in having thought.
§1.16.2οἷόν φασί ποτέ τινα γυναῖκα φίλτρον τινὶ δοῦναι πιεῖν, εἶτα τὸν ἄνθρωπον ἀποθανεῖν ὑπὸ τοῦ φίλτρου, τὴν δʼ ἄνθρωπον ἐν Ἀρείῳ πάγῳ ἀποφυγεῖν·
For instance, they say that once a certain woman gave a man a love potion to drink, and then the man died from the potion, but the woman was acquitted at the Areopagus.
οὗ παροῦσαν διʼ οὐθὲν ἄλλο ἀπέλυσαν ἢ διότι οὐκ ἐκ προνοίας.
When she was present there, they released her for no other reason than because it was not from forethought.
ἔδωκε μὲν γὰρ φιλίᾳ, διήμαρτεν δὲ τούτου· διὸ οὐχ ἑκούσιον ἐδόκει εἶναι, ὅτι τὴν δόσιν τοῦ φίλτρου οὐ μετὰ διανοίας τοῦ ἀπρλέσθαι αὐτὸν ἐδίδου.
For she gave it out of affection, but she missed this mark; and therefore it was not thought to be voluntary, because she did not give the potion with the thought of his perishing.
ἐνταῦθα ἄρα τὸ ἑκούσιον πίπτει εἰς τὸ μετὰ διανοίας.
Here, then, the voluntary falls under that which is accompanied by thought.

Notes

  1. §1.16.1ὡς τοῦ ἑκουσίου ὄντος — The conjunction ὡς followed by the genitive absolute (τοῦ ἑκουσίου ὄντος) expresses the subjective reason or ground assumed by the speakers ("on the ground that...").
  2. §1.16.2οὗ παροῦσαν — οὗ is a relative adverb of place referring back to the "Areopagus". The present participle accusative feminine singular παροῦσαν agrees with the implied object of the main verb ἀπέλυσαν (the woman), describing her presence in the court.
  3. §1.16.2τοῦ ἀπρλέσθαι — The text's ἀπρλέσθαι is a misspelling of ἀπολέσθαι. It is a genitive articular infinitive standing in apposition to the preceding διανοίας, explaining its content. The infinitive itself is in the second aorist middle (with an intransitive sense, "to perish"), and αὐτόν serves as its subject of accusative.

Cite this passage

Aristotle, Great Ethics §1.16.1-1.16.2. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0086.tlg022.humanitext-grc1:1.16.1-1.16.2

Please note the AI-draft status of the translation and the date accessed.

Translation, notes and summary are AI-generated drafts, revised through reader feedback.