§4.2#2ὥστʼ ἐπειδὴ πολλαχῶς τὸ ἓν λέγεται, καὶ ταῦτα πολλαχῶς μὲν λεχθήσεται, ὅμως δὲ μιᾶς ἅπαντά ἐστι γνωρίζειν· οὐ γὰρ εἰ πολλαχῶς, ἑτέρας, ἀλλʼ εἰ μήτε καθʼ ἓν μήτε πρὸς ἓν οἱ λόγοι ἀναφέρονται. ἐπεὶ δὲ πάντα πρὸς τὸ πρῶτον ἀναφέρεται, οἷον ὅσα ἓν λέγεται πρὸς τὸ πρῶτον ἕν, ὡσαύτως φατέον καὶ περὶ ταὐτοῦ καὶ ἑτέρου καὶ τῶν ἐναντίων ἔχειν· ὥστε διελόμενον ποσαχῶς λέγεται ἕκαστον, οὕτως ἀποδοτέον πρὸς τὸ πρῶτον ἐν ἑκάστῃ κατηγορίᾳ πῶς πρὸς ἐκεῖνο λέγεται· τὰ μὲν γὰρ τῷ ἔχειν ἐκεῖνο τὰ δὲ τῷ ποιεῖν τὰ δὲ κατʼ ἄλλους λεχθήσεται τοιούτους τρόπους.
Therefore, since the "one" is spoken of in many ways, these also will be spoken of in many ways, but nevertheless it belongs to one science to know them all; for they do not belong to another science if they are spoken of in many ways, but only if their definitions are referred neither "according to one" nor "with reference to one." And since all things are referred to that which is first, for example, as many things as are called "one" are referred to the first "one," we must say that it is the same also with respect to the same, the other, and the contraries; so that, having distinguished in how many ways each is spoken of, we must thus render, with reference to the first in each category, how it is spoken of with reference to that; for some will be spoken of by having that, others by producing it, and others in other such ways.
—φανερὸν οὖν ὅτι μιᾶς περὶ τούτων καὶ τῆς οὐσίας ἐστὶ λόγον ἔχειν (τοῦτο δʼ ἦν ἓν τῶν ἐν τοῖς ἀπορήμασιν), καὶ ἔστι τοῦ φιλοσόφου περὶ πάντων δύνασθαι θεωρεῖν.
It is manifest, therefore, that it belongs to one science to have an account of these and of substance (and this was one of the questions in our difficulties), and it belongs to the philosopher to be able to contemplate about all things.
εἰ γὰρ μὴ τοῦ φιλοσόφου, τίς ἔσται ὁ ἐπισκεψόμενος εἰ ταὐτὸ Σωκράτης καὶ Σωκράτης καθήμενος, ἢ εἰ ἓν ἑνὶ ἐναντίον, ἢ τί ἐστι τὸ ἐναντίον ἢ ποσαχῶς λέγεται;
For if it does not belong to the philosopher, who will be the one to inquire whether Socrates and Socrates sitting are the same, or if one thing is contrary to one, or what contrariety is, or in how many ways it is spoken of?
ὁμοίως δὲ καὶ περὶ τῶν ἄλλων τῶν τοιούτων.
And likewise also about other such things.
ἐπεὶ οὖν τοῦ ἑνὸς ᾗ ἓν καὶ τοῦ ὄντος ᾗ ὂν ταῦτα καθʼ αὑτά ἐστι πάθη, ἀλλʼ οὐχ ᾗ ἀριθμοὶ ἢ γραμμαὶ ἢ πῦρ, δῆλον ὡς ἐκείνης τῆς ἐπιστήμης καὶ τί ἐστι γνωρίσαι καὶ τὰ συμβεβηκότʼ αὐτοῖς.
Since, then, these are per se affections of the "one" qua "one" and of "being" qua "being," and not qua numbers or lines or fire, it is clear that it belongs to that science to know both what they are and their accidents.
καὶ οὐ ταύτῃ ἁμαρτάνουσιν οἱ περὶ αὐτῶν σκοπούμενοι ὡς οὐ φιλοσοφοῦντες, ἀλλʼ ὅτι πρότερον ἡ οὐσία, περὶ ἧς οὐθὲν ἐπαΐουσιν, ἐπεὶ ὥσπερ ἔστι καὶ ἀριθμοῦ ᾗ ἀριθμὸς ἴδια πάθη, οἷον περιττότης ἀρτιότης, συμμετρία ἰσότης, ὑπεροχὴ ἔλλειψις, καὶ ταῦτα καὶ καθʼ αὑτοὺς καὶ πρὸς ἀλλήλους ὑπάρχει τοῖς ἀριθμοῖς (ὁμοίως δὲ καὶ στερεῷ καὶ ἀκινήτῳ καὶ κινουμένῳ ἀβαρεῖ τε καὶ βάρος ἔχοντι ἔστιν ἕτερα ἴδια), οὕτω καὶ τῷ ὄντι ᾗ ὂν ἔστι τινὰ ἴδια, καὶ ταῦτʼ ἐστὶ περὶ ὧν τοῦ φιλοσόφου ἐπισκέψασθαι τὸ ἀληθές.
And those who inquire about them do not err in this, namely as not doing philosophy, but because substance is prior, about which they understand nothing. For just as there are also peculiar affections of number qua number, such as oddness, evenness, commensurability, equality, excess, defect, and these belong to numbers both by themselves and in relation to one other (and likewise there are other peculiar properties for a solid and for what is motionless and what is in motion, and what is weightless and what has weight), so also there are certain peculiar properties of being qua being, and it is about these that it belongs to the philosopher to inquire into the truth.
σημεῖον δέ· οἱ γὰρ διαλεκτικοὶ καὶ σοφισταὶ τὸ αὐτὸ μὲν ὑποδύονται σχῆμα τῷ φιλοσόφῳ· ἡ γὰρ σοφιστικὴ φαινομένη μόνον σοφία ἐστί, καὶ οἱ διαλεκτικοὶ διαλέγονται περὶ ἁπάντων, κοινὸν δὲ πᾶσι τὸ ὄν ἐστιν, διαλέγονται δὲ περὶ τούτων δῆλον ὅτι διὰ τὸ τῆς φιλοσοφίας ταῦτα εἶναι οἰκεῖα.
A sign of this: for the dialecticians and sophists assume the same guise as the philosopher (for sophistry is only apparent wisdom, and the dialecticians discuss all things, and being is common to all, and they discuss these things clearly because these are proper to philosophy).
περὶ μὲν γὰρ τὸ αὐτὸ γένος στρέφεται ἡ σοφιστικὴ καὶ ἡ διαλεκτικὴ τῇ φιλοσοφίᾳ, ἀλλὰ διαφέρει τῆς μὲν τῷ τρόπῳ τῆς δυνάμεως, τῆς δὲ τοῦ βίου τῇ προαιρέσει· ἔστι δὲ ἡ διαλεκτικὴ πειραστικὴ περὶ ὧν ἡ φιλοσοφία γνωριστική, ἡ δὲ σοφιστικὴ φαινομένη, οὖσα δʼ οὔ.
For sophistry and dialectic turn about the same genus as philosophy, but dialectic differs from it in the mode of its capacity, and sophistry in the choice of life; and dialectic is tentative about things of which philosophy is cognitive, while sophistry is apparent but is not.
ἔτι τῶν ἐναντίων ἡ ἑτέρα συστοιχία στέρησις, καὶ πάντα ἀνάγεται εἰς τὸ ὂν καὶ τὸ μὴ ὄν, καὶ εἰς ἓν καὶ πλῆθος, οἷον στάσις τοῦ ἑνὸς κίνησις δὲ τοῦ πλήθους· τὰ δʼ ὄντα καὶ τὴν οὐσίαν ὁμολογοῦσιν ἐξ ἐναντίων σχεδὸν ἅπαντες συγκεῖσθαι· πάντες γοῦν τὰς ἀρχὰς ἐναντίας λέγουσιν· οἱ μὲν γὰρ περιττὸν καὶ ἄρτιον, οἱ δὲ θερμὸν καὶ ψυχρόν, οἱ δὲ πέρας καὶ ἄπειρον, οἱ δὲ φιλίαν καὶ νεῖκος.
Further, of contraries, the other column is privation, and all things are reduced to being and non-being, and to one and plurality, as for example rest belongs to the one and motion to plurality; and being and substance are agreed by nearly all to be composed of contraries; at least they all say that the principles are contraries; for some say odd and even, others hot and cold, others limit and unlimited, others friendship and strife.
πάντα δὲ καὶ τἆλλα ἀναγόμενα φαίνεται εἰς τὸ ἓν καὶ πλῆθος (εἰλήφθω γὰρ ἡ ἀναγωγὴ ἡμῖν), αἱ δʼ ἀρχαὶ καὶ παντελῶς αἱ παρὰ τῶν ἄλλων ὡς εἰς γένη ταῦτα πίπτουσιν.
And all other things also appear to be reduced to the one and plurality (for let this reduction be assumed by us), and the principles proposed by others also fall entirely into these as their genera.
φανερὸν οὖν καὶ ἐκ τούτων ὅτι μιᾶς ἐπιστήμης τὸ ὂν ᾗ ὂν θεωρῆσαι.
It is manifest, therefore, from these things too, that it belongs to one science to contemplate being qua being.
πάντα γὰρ ἢ ἐναντία ἢ ἐξ ἐναντίων, ἀρχαὶ δὲ τῶν ἐναντίων τὸ ἓν καὶ πλῆθος.
For all things are either contraries or composed of contraries, and the principles of contraries are the one and plurality.
ταῦτα δὲ μιᾶς ἐπιστήμης, εἴτε καθʼ ἓν λέγεται εἴτε μή, ὥσπερ ἴσως ἔχει καὶ τἀληθές.
And these belong to one science, whether they are spoken of according to one or not, as perhaps the truth of the matter is.
ἀλλʼ ὅμως εἰ καὶ πολλαχῶς λέγεται τὸ ἕν, πρὸς τὸ πρῶτον τἆλλα λεχθήσεται καὶ τὰ ἐναντία ὁμοίως, καὶ εἰ μὴ ἔστι τὸ ὂν ἢ τὸ ἓν καθόλου καὶ ταὐτὸ ἐπὶ πάντων ἢ χωριστόν, ὥσπερ ἴσως οὐκ ἔστιν ἀλλὰ τὰ μὲν πρὸς ἓν τὰ δὲ τῷ ἐφεξῆς.
But nevertheless, even if "one" is spoken of in many ways, the other things and the contraries likewise will be spoken of with reference to the first, even if being or one is not universal and the same over all, or separate, as perhaps it is not, but some things are with reference to one, and others by succession.
καὶ διὰ τοῦτο οὐ τοῦ γεωμέτρου θεωρῆσαι τί τὸ ἐναντίον ἢ τέλειον ἢ ἓν ἢ ὂν ἢ ταὐτὸν ἢ ἕτερον, ἀλλʼ ἢ ἐξ ὑποθέσεως.
And because of this, it is not the business of the geometer to contemplate what is the contrary or the complete or one or being or the same or the other, except from a hypothesis.
ὅτι μὲν οὖν μιᾶς ἐπιστήμης τὸ ὂν ᾗ ὂν θεωρῆσαι καὶ τὰ ὑπάρχοντα αὐτῷ ᾗ ὄν, δῆλον, καὶ ὅτι οὐ μόνον τῶν οὐσιῶν ἀλλὰ καὶ τῶν ὑπαρχόντων ἡ αὐτὴ θεωρητική, τῶν τε εἰρημένων καὶ περὶ προτέρου καὶ ὑστέρου, καὶ γένους καὶ εἴδους, καὶ ὅλου καὶ μέρους καὶ τῶν ἄλλων τῶν τοιούτων.
That, therefore, it belongs to one science to contemplate being qua being and the things belonging to it qua being, is clear, and that the same science is contemplative not only of substances but also of the things belonging to them, both the aforementioned and about prior and posterior, genus and species, whole and part, and other such things.