§10.4ἐπεὶ δὲ διαφέρειν ἐνδέχεται ἀλλήλων τὰ διαφέροντα πλεῖον καὶ ἔλαττον, ἔστι τις καὶ μεγίστη διαφορά, καὶ ταύτην λέγω ἐναντίωσιν.
Since it is possible for things that differ to differ from one another more and less, there is also a certain greatest difference, and this I call contrariety.
ὅτι δʼ ἡ μεγίστη ἐστὶ διαφορά, δῆλον ἐκ τῆς ἐπαγωγῆς.
That it is the greatest difference is clear from induction.
τὰ μὲν γὰρ γένει διαφέροντα οὐκ ἔχει ὁδὸν εἰς ἄλληλα, ἀλλʼ ἀπέχει πλέον καὶ ἀσύμβλητα· τοῖς δʼ εἴδει διαφέρουσιν αἱ γενέσεις ἐκ τῶν ἐναντίων εἰσὶν ὡς ἐσχάτων, τὸ δὲ τῶν ἐσχάτων διάστημα μέγιστον, ὥστε καὶ τὸ τῶν ἐναντίων.
For things that differ in genus have no path to one another, but are further apart and incomparable; whereas for things that differ in species, generations are from contraries as extremes, and the interval between extremes is greatest, so that also the interval between contraries is greatest.
ἀλλὰ μὴν τό γε μέγιστον ἐν ἑκάστῳ γένει τέλειον.
But surely that which is greatest in each genus is complete.
μέγιστόν τε γὰρ οὗ μὴ ἔστιν ὑπερβολή, καὶ τέλειον οὗ μὴ ἔστιν ἔξω λαβεῖν τι δυνατόν· τέλος γὰρ ἔχει ἡ τελεία διαφορά (ὥσπερ καὶ τἆλλα τῷ τέλος ἔχειν λέγεται τέλεια), τοῦ δὲ τέλους οὐθὲν ἔξω· ἔσχατον γὰρ ἐν παντὶ καὶ περιέχει, διὸ οὐδὲν ἔξω τοῦ τέλους, οὐδὲ προσδεῖται οὐδενὸς τὸ τέλειον.
For that of which there is no excess is greatest, and that outside of which it is not possible to take anything is complete; for complete difference has an end (just as other things are called complete by having an end), and outside the end there is nothing; for it is the extreme in everything and encompasses them, which is why there is nothing outside the end, nor does that which is complete need anything in addition.
ὅτι μὲν οὖν ἡ ἐναντιότης ἐστὶ διαφορὰ τέλειος, ἐκ τούτων δῆλον· πολλαχῶς δὲ λεγομένων τῶν ἐναντίων, ἀκολουθήσει τὸ τελείως οὕτως ὡς ἂν καὶ τὸ ἐναντίοις εἶναι ὑπάρχῃ αὐτοῖς.
That contrariety, then, is complete difference is clear from these; but since contraries are spoken of in many ways, being complete will follow in the same way as being contraries belongs to them.
τούτων δὲ ὄντων φανερὸν ὅτι οὐκ ἐνδέχεται ἑνὶ πλείω ἐναντία εἶναι (οὔτε γὰρ τοῦ ἐσχάτου ἐσχατώτερον εἴη ἄν τι, οὔτε τοῦ ἑνὸς διαστήματος πλείω δυοῖν ἔσχατα), ὅλως τε εἰ ἔστιν ἡ ἐναντιότης διαφορά, ἡ δὲ διαφορὰ δυοῖν, ὥστε καὶ ἡ τέλειος.
And these things being so, it is manifest that it is not possible for there to be more than one contrary to one thing (for neither could there be anything more extreme than the extreme, nor could there be more than two extremes for a single interval), and generally if contrariety is a difference, and difference is of two things, so also is the complete difference.
ἀνάγκη δὲ καὶ τοὺς ἄλλους ὅρους ἀληθεῖς εἶναι τῶν ἐναντίων.
And it is necessary that the other definitions of contraries also be true.
καὶ γὰρ πλεῖστον διαφέρει ἡ τέλειος διαφορά (τῶν τε γὰρ γένει διαφερόντων οὐκ ἔστιν ἐξωτέρω λαβεῖν καὶ τῶν εἴδει· δέδεικται γὰρ ὅτι πρὸς τὰ ἔξω τοῦ γένους οὐκ ἔστι διαφορά, τούτων δʼ αὕτη μεγίστη), καὶ τὰ ἐν ταὐτῷ γένει πλεῖστον διαφέροντα ἐναντία (μεγίστη γὰρ διαφορὰ τούτων ἡ τέλειος), καὶ τὰ ἐν τῷ αὐτῷ δεκτικῷ πλεῖστον διαφέροντα ἐναντία (ἡ γὰρ ὕλη ἡ αὐτὴ τοῖς ἐναντίοις) καὶ τὰ ὑπὸ τὴν αὐτὴν δύναμιν πλεῖστον διαφέροντα (καὶ γὰρ ἡ ἐπιστήμη περὶ ἓν γένος ἡ μία)· ἐν οἷς ἡ τελεία διαφορὰ μεγίστη.
For complete difference differs the most (since it is not possible to take anything further exterior either of things that differ in genus or of things that differ in species; for it has been shown that there is no difference in relation to things outside the genus, and of the things within it, this difference is the greatest); and those things in the same genus that differ the most are contraries (for the complete difference is the greatest of these), and those in the same receptive recipient that differ the most are contraries (for the matter is the same for contraries), and those under the same capacity that differ the most (for the single science is about a single genus); in which cases the complete difference is the greatest.
—πρώτη δὲ ἐναντίωσις ἕξις καὶ στέρησίς ἐστιν· οὐ πᾶσα δὲ στέρησις (πολλαχῶς γὰρ λέγεται ἡ στέρησις) ἀλλʼ ἥτις ἂν τελεία ᾖ.
And the primary contrariety is habit and privation; not every privation (for privation is spoken of in many ways) but whichever is complete.
τὰ δʼ ἄλλα ἐναντία κατὰ ταῦτα λεχθήσεται, τὰ μὲν τῷ ἔχειν τὰ δὲ τῷ ποιεῖν ἢ ποιητικὰ εἶναι τὰ δὲ τῷ λήψεις εἶναι καὶ ἀποβολαὶ τούτων ἢ ἄλλων ἐναντίων.
And the other contraries will be spoken of in relation to these, some by having them, some by acting or being productive, and others by being acquisitions and losses of these or of other contraries.
εἰ δὴ ἀντίκειται μὲν ἀντίφασις καὶ στέρησις καὶ ἐναντιότης καὶ τὰ πρός τι, τούτων δὲ πρῶτον ἀντίφασις, ἀντιφάσεως δὲ μηδέν ἐστι μεταξύ, τῶν δὲ ἐναντίων ἐνδέχεται, ὅτι μὲν οὐ ταὐτὸν ἀντίφασις καὶ τἀναντία δῆλον·
If, then, contradiction, privation, contrariety, and relatives are opposed, and of these contradiction is primary, and of contradiction there is no intermediate, whereas of contraries there can be, it is clear that contradiction and contraries are not the same.
ἡ δὲ στέρησις ἀντίφασίς τίς ἐστιν·
But privation is a certain contradiction.
ἢ γὰρ τὸ ἀδύνατον ὅλως ἔχειν, ἢ ὃ ἂν πεφυκὸς ἔχειν μὴ ἔχῃ, ἐστέρηται ἢ ὅλως ἢ πὼς ἀφορισθέν (πολλαχῶς γὰρ ἤδη τοῦτο λέγομεν, ὥσπερ διῄρηται ἡμῖν ἐν ἄλλοις), ὥστʼ ἐστὶν ἡ στέρησις ἀντίφασίς τις ἢ ἀδυναμία διορισθεῖσα ἢ συνειλημμένη τῷ δεκτικῷ· διὸ ἀντιφάσεως μὲν οὐκ ἔστι μεταξύ, στερήσεως δέ τινος ἔστιν· ἴσον μὲν γὰρ ἢ οὐκ ἴσον πᾶν, ἴσον δʼ ἢ ἄνισον οὐ πᾶν, ἀλλʼ εἴπερ, μόνον ἐν τῷ δεκτικῷ τοῦ ἴσου.
For either that which is completely impossible to have, or that which by nature should have it but does not, is deprived either completely or in some determined way (for we already speak of this in many ways, as we have divided in other works); so that privation is a certain contradiction or incapacity that is determined or taken together with the receptive recipient; on which account, while there is no intermediate of contradiction, there is of a certain privation; for equal or not equal is everything, but equal or unequal is not everything, but if so, only in that which is receptive of the equal.
εἰ δὴ αἱ γενέσεις τῇ ὕλῃ ἐκ τῶν ἐναντίων, γίγνονται δὲ ἢ ἐκ τοῦ εἴδους καὶ τῆς τοῦ εἴδους ἕξεως ἢ ἐκ στερήσεώς τινος τοῦ εἴδους καὶ τῆς μορφῆς, δῆλον ὅτι ἡ μὲν ἐναντίωσις στέρησις ἂν εἴη πᾶσα, ἡ δὲ στέρησις ἴσως οὐ πᾶσα ἐναντιότης (αἴτιον δʼ ὅτι πολλαχῶς ἐνδέχεται ἐστερῆσθαι τὸ ἐστερημένον)· ἐξ ὧν γὰρ αἱ μεταβολαὶ ἐσχάτων, ἐναντία ταῦτα.
If, then, generations for matter are from contraries, and they come to be either from the form and the habit of the form, or from some privation of the form and the shape, it is clear that all contrariety would be privation, but privation, perhaps, is not all contrariety (and the cause is that that which is deprived can be deprived in many ways); for those extremes from which changes proceed are contraries.
φανερὸν δὲ καὶ διὰ τῆς ἐπαγωγῆς.
And this is also manifest through induction.
πᾶσα γὰρ ἐναντίωσις ἔχει στέρησιν θάτερον τῶν ἐναντίων, ἀλλʼ οὐχ ὁμοίως πάντα· ἀνισότης μὲν γὰρ ἰσότητος ἀνομοιότης δὲ ὁμοιότητος κακία δὲ ἀρετῆς, διαφέρει δὲ ὥσπερ εἴρηται· τὸ μὲν γὰρ ἐὰν μόνον ᾖ ἐστερημένον, τὸ δʼ ἐὰν ἢ ποτὲ ἢ ἔν τινι, οἷον ἂν ἐν ἡλικίᾳ τινὶ ἢ τῷ κυρίῳ, ἢ πάντῃ·
For every contrariety has one of the contraries as a privation, but not all in the same way; for inequality is the privation of equality, and unlikeness of likeness, and vice of virtue; and they differ as has been said: one is if a thing is merely deprived, another if it is either at some time or in some part, as for instance either at a certain age or in its main organ, or entirely.
διὸ τῶν μὲν ἔστι μεταξύ, καὶ ἔστιν οὔτε ἀγαθὸς ἄνθρωπος οὔτε κακός, τῶν δὲ οὐκ ἔστιν, ἀλλʼ ἀνάγκη εἶναι ἢ περιττὸν ἢ ἄρτιον.
On which account, of some there is an intermediate, and there can be a man who is neither good nor bad, while of others there is not, but it is necessary to be either odd or even.
ἔτι τὰ μὲν ἔχει τὸ ὑποκείμενον ὡρισμένον, τὰ δʼ οὔ.
Furthermore, some have their subject determined, while others do not.
ὥστε φανερὸν ὅτι ἀεὶ θάτερον τῶν ἐναντίων λέγεται κατὰ στέρησιν· ἀπόχρη δὲ κἂν τὰ πρῶτα καὶ τὰ γένη τῶν ἐναντίων, οἷον τὸ ἓν καὶ τὰ πολλά· τὰ γὰρ ἄλλα εἰς ταῦτα ἀνάγεται.
So it is manifest that one of the contraries is always spoken of in terms of privation; and it is sufficient even if this holds for the primary ones and the genera of contraries, such as the one and the many; for the others are reduced to these.