§4.1#1Ὁμοίως δʼ ἀνάγκη καὶ περὶ τόπου τὸν φυσικὸν ὥσπερ καὶ περὶ ἀπείρου γνωρίζειν, εἰ ἔστιν ἢ μή, καὶ πῶς ἔστι, καὶ τί ἐστιν.
In the same way, it is necessary for the physicist, as in the case of the infinite, to know about place, whether it exists or not, and how it exists, and what it is.
τά τε γὰρ ὄντα πάντες ὑπολαμβάνουσιν εἶναί που (τὸ γὰρ μὴ ὄν οὐδαμοῦ εἶναι· ποῦ γάρ ἐστι τραγέλαφος ἢ σφίγξ; ) καὶ τῆς κινήσεως ἡ κοινὴ μάλιστα καὶ κυριωτάτη κατὰ τόπον ἐστίν, ἣν καλοῦμεν φοράν.
For everyone supposes that existing things are somewhere (for what is not is nowhere; for where is a goat-stag or a sphinx?), and the most common and most proper kind of motion is that in respect of place, which we call locomotion.
ἔχει δὲ πολλὰς
ἀπορίας τί ποτʼ ἐστὶν ὁ τόπος· οὐ γὰρ ταὐτὸν φαίνεται θεωροῦσιν ἐξ ἀπάντων τῶν ὑπαρχόντων.
But what place is presents many difficulties; for it does not appear the same to those who investigate it from all the existing facts.
ἔτι δʼ οὐδʼ ἔχομεν οὐδὲν παρὰ τῶν ἄλλων οὔτε προηπορημένον οὔτε προηυπορημένου περὶ αὐτοῦ.
Moreover, we have nothing from others either by way of a previously stated problem or a previously stated solution about it.
ὅτι μὲν οὖν ἔστιν ὁ τόπος, δοκεῖ δῆλον εἶναι ἐκ τῆς
ἀντιμεταστάσεως·
Now, that place exists seems to be clear from mutual replacement.
ὅπου γὰρ ἔστι νῦν ὕδωρ, ἐνταῦθα ἐξελθόντος ὥσπερ ἐξ ἀγγείου πάλιν ἀὴρ ἔνεστιν, ὁτὲ δὲ τὸν αὐτὸν τόπον τοῦτον ἄλλο τι τῶν σωμάτων κατέχει·
For where water is now, there, when it has gone out as if from a vessel, air is in it again, and at another time some other of the bodies occupies this same place.
τοῦτο δὴ τῶν ἐγγιγνομένων καὶ μεταβαλλόντων ἕτερον πάντων εἶναι δοκεῖ· ἐν ᾧ γὰρ ἀὴρ ἔστι νῦν, ὕδωρ ἐν τούτῳ πρότερον ἦν, ὥστε δῆλον ὡς ἦν ὁ τόπος τι καὶ ἡ χώρα ἕτερον ἀμφοῖν, εἰς ἣν καὶ ἐξ ἧς μετέβαλον.
This, indeed, seems to be something different from all the things that come to be in it and change; for in that in which air is now, water was previously, so that it is clear that the place and the space was something different from both, into which and out of which they changed.
ἔτι δὲ αἱ φοραὶ τῶν φυσικῶν σωμάταων καὶ ἁπλῶν, οἷον πυρὸς καὶ γῆς καὶ τῶν τοιούτων, οὐ μόνον δηλοῦσιν ὅτι ἐστί τι ὁ τόπος, ἀλλʼ ὅτι καὶ ἔχει τινὰ δύναμιν.
Moreover, the locomotions of natural and simple bodies, such as fire and earth and the like, not only show that place is something, but also that it has some power.
φέρεται γὰρ ἕκαστον εἰς τὸν αὑτοῦ τόπον μὴ κωλυόμενον, τὸ μὲν ἄνω τὸ δὲ κάτω·
For each is carried to its own place if not prevented, the one upward and the other downward.
ταῦτα δʼ ἐστὶ τόπου μέρη καὶ εἴδη, τό τε ἄνω καὶ τὸ κάτω καὶ αἱ λοιπαὶ τῶν ἓξ διαστάσεων.
And these are parts and species of place, namely upward and downward and the rest of the six directions.
ἔστι δὲ τὰ τοιαῦτα οὐ μόνον πρὸς ἡμᾶς, τὸ ἄνω καὶ κάτω καὶ δεξιὸν καὶ ἀριστερόν·
And such things as upward and downward, right and left, are not only relative to us.
ἡμῖν μὲν γὰρ οὐκ ἀεὶ τὸ αὐτό, ἀλλὰ κατὰ τὴν θέσιν, ὅπως ἂν στραφῶμεν, γίγνεται (διὸ καὶ ταὐτὸ πολλάκις δεξιὸν καὶ ἀριστερὸν καὶ ἄνω καὶ κάτω καὶ πρόσθεν καὶ ὄπισθεν), ἐν δὲ τῇ φύσει διώρισται χωρὶς ἕκαστον. ·
For to us they are not always the same, but depend on our position, according as we turn (wherefore the same thing is often right and left, upward and downward, ahead and behind), but in nature each is distinguished separately.
οὐ γὰρ ὅ τι ἔτυχέν ἐστι τὸ ἄνω, ἀλλʼ ὅπου φέρεται τὸ πῦρ καὶ τὸ κοῦφον· ὁμοίως δὲ καὶ τὸ κάτω οὐχ ὅ τι ἔτυχεν, ἀλλʼ ὅπου τὰ ἔχοντα βάρος καὶ τὰ γεηρά, ὡς οὐ τῇ θέσει διαφέροντα μόνον ἀλλὰ καὶ τῇ δυνάμει.
For upward is not just any chance direction, but where fire and light things are carried; and likewise downward is not any chance direction, but where things having weight and earthy things are carried, showing that they differ not only in position but also in power.
δηλοῖ δὲ καὶ τὰ μαθηματ ικά· οὐκ ὄντα γὰρ ἐν τόπῳ ὅμως κατὰ τὴν θέσιν τὴν πρὸς ἡμᾶς ἔχει δεξιὰ καὶ ἀριστερὰ ὡς τὰ μόνον λεγόμενα διὰ θέσιν, οὐκ ἔχοντα φύσει τούτων ἕκαστον, ἔτι οἱ τὸ κενὸν φάσκοντες εἶναι τόπον λέγουσιν·
This is shown also by mathematical objects; for though they are not in place, nevertheless they have right and left according to their position relative to us, as being things so called only because of position, not having each of these by nature.
τὸ γὰρ κενὸν τόπος ἂν εἴη ἐστερημένος σώματος.
Furthermore, those who assert that the void exists speak of place; for the void would be a place deprived of body.