§6.2#2ἔτι δὲ καὶ ἐκ τῶν εἰωθότων λόγων λέγεσθαι φανερὸν ὡς εἴπερ ὁ χρόνος ἐστὶ συνεχής, ὅτι καὶ τὸ μέγεθος, εἴπερ ἐν τῷ ἡμίσει χρόνῳ ἥμισυ διέρχεται καὶ ἁπλῶς ἐν τῶ ἐλάττονι ἔλαττον· αἱ γὰρ αὐταὶ διαιρέσεις ἔσονται τοῦ χρόνου καὶ τοῦ μεγέθους.
Furthermore, it is also manifest from the arguments commonly used that if time is continuous, magnitude is also continuous, since in half the time it traverses half the magnitude, and simply in less time a less magnitude; for there will be the same divisions of time and of magnitude.
καὶ εἰ ὁποτερονοῦν ἄπειρον, καὶ θάτερον, καὶ ὡς θάτερον, καὶ θάτερον, οἷον εἰ μὲν τοῖς ἐσχάτοις ἄπειρος ὁ χρόνος, καὶ τὸ μῆκος τοῖς ἐσχάτοις, εἰ δὲ τῇ διαιρέσει, τῇ διαιρέσει καὶ τὸ μῆκος, εἰ δὲ ἀμφοῖν, ἀμφοῖν καὶ τὸ μέγεθος.
And if either of them is infinite, the other is also, and in the same way as the one, so is the other; for example, if time is infinite in its extremes, the length is also infinite in its extremes, and if in division, the length is also infinite in division, and if in both, the magnitude is also infinite in both.
διὸ καὶ ὁ Ζήνωνος λόγος
ψεῦδος λαμβάνει τὸ μὴ ἐνδέχεσθαι τὰ ἄπειρα διελθεῖν ἢ ἃψασθαι τῶν ἀπείρων καθʼ ἕκαστον ἐν πεπερασμένῳ χρόνω.
Therefore Zenon's argument also assumes a falsehood, namely that it is impossible to traverse infinite things or to touch infinite things individually in a finite time.
διχῶς γὰρ λέγεται καὶ τὸ μῆκος καὶ ὁ χρόνος ἄπειρον, καὶ ὅλως πᾶν τὸ συνεχές, ἤτοι κατὰ διαίρεσιν ἢ τοῖς ἐσχάτοις.
For both length and time, and generally everything continuous, are called infinite in two ways, either in division or in their extremes.
τῶν μὲν οὖν κατὰ τὸ ποσὸν ἀπείρων οὐκ ἐνδέχεται ἅψασθαι ἐν πεπερασμένῳ χρόνῳ, τῶν δὲ κατὰ διαίρεσιν ἐνδέχεται· καὶ γὰρ αὐτὸς ὁ χρόνος οὕτως ἄπειρος.
While, then, it is impossible to touch things infinite in quantity in a finite time, it is possible for things infinite in division; for time itself is also infinite in this way.
ὥστε ἐν τῷ ἀπείρῳ καὶ οὐκ ἐν τῷ πεπερασμένῳ συμβαίνει διιέναι τὸ ἄπειρον, καὶ ἅπτεσθαι τῶν ἀπείρων τοῖς ἀπείροις, οὐ τοῖς πεπερασμένοις.
So it turns out that one traverses the infinite in an infinite time, and not in a finite time, and touches infinite things with things that are infinite, not with things that are finite.
οὔτε δὴ τὸ ἄπειρον οἷόν τε ἐν πεπερασμένω χρόνῳ διελθεῖν, οὔτʼ ἐν ἀπείρῳ τὸ πεπερασμένον· ἀλλʼ ἐάν τε ὁ χρόνος ἄπειρος ᾖ, καὶ τὸ μέγεθος ἔσται ἄπειρον, ἐάν τε τὸ μέγεθος, καὶ ὁ χρόνος.
Therefore, it is neither possible to traverse the infinite in a finite time, nor the finite in an infinite time; but if the time is infinite, the magnitude will also be infinite, and if the magnitude is infinite, the time will also be infinite.
ἔστω γὰρ πεπερασμένον μέγεθος ἐφʼ οὗ ΑΒ, χρόνος δὲ ἄπειρος ἐφʼ Γ· εἰλήφθω δέ τι τοῦ χρόνου πεπερασμένον, ἐφʼ ΓΔ. ἐν τούτῳ οὖν δίεισί τι τοῦ μεγέθους, καὶ ἔστω διεληλυθὸς ἐφʼ ᾧ ΒΕ. τοῦτο δὲ ἢ καταμετρήσει τὸ ἐφʼ ᾧ AB. ἢ ἔλλειψει, ἢ ὑπερβαλεῖ· διαφέρει γὰρ οὐθέν·
For let there be a finite magnitude AB, and an infinite time C; and let a finite part of the time, CD, be taken. Now in this time it will traverse some part of the magnitude, and let the part traversed be BE. This BE will either measure AB exactly, or fall short of it, or exceed it; for it makes no difference.
εἰ γὰρ ἀεὶ τὸ ἴσον τῷ BE μέγεθος ἐν ἴσῳ χρόνῳ δίεισιν, τοῦτο δὲ καταμετρεῖ τὸ ὅλον, πεπερασμένος ἔσται ὁ πᾶς χρόνος ἐν ᾧ διῆλθεν· εἰς ἴσα γὰρ διαιρεθήσεται καὶ τὸ μέγεθος.
For if it always traverses a magnitude equal to BE in an equal time, and this measures the whole, the entire time in which it traversed it will be finite; for the magnitude also will be divided into equal parts.
ἔτι δʼ εἰ μὴ πᾶν μέγεθος ἐν ἀπείρῳ χρόνῳ. δίεισιν, ἀλλʼ ἐνδέχεταί τι καὶ ἐν πεπερασμένῳ δικλθεῖν, οἷον τὸ ΒΕ, τοῦτο δὲ καταμετρήσει τὸ πᾶν, καὶ τὸ ἴσον ἐν ἴσῳ δίεισιν, ὥστε πεπερασμένος ἔσται καὶ ὁ χρόνος.
Furthermore, if it does not traverse every magnitude in an infinite time, but it is possible to traverse some part, such as BE, also in a finite time, and this measures the whole, and it traverses an equal magnitude in an equal time, then the time will also be finite.
ὅτι δʼ οὐκ ἐν ἀπείρῳ δίεισιν τὸ BE, φανερόν, εἰ ληφθείη ἐπὶ θάτερα πεπερασμένος ὁ χρόνος· εἰ γὰρ ἐν ἐλάττονι τὸ μέρος δίεισιν, τοῦτο ἀνάγκη πεπεράνθαι, θατέρου γε πέρατος ὑπάρχοντος.
And that it does not traverse BE in an infinite time is manifest if the time is assumed to be finite on one side; for if it traverses the part in less time, this time must be finite, since one limit at least is present.
ἡ αὐτὴ δὲ ἀπόδειξις καὶ εἰ τὸ μὲν μῆκος ἄπειρον ὁ δὲ χρόνος πεπερασμένος.
The same proof also holds if the length is infinite and the time is finite.
φανερὸν
οὖν ἐκ τῶν εἰρημένων ὡς οὔτε γραμμὴ οὕτε ἐπίπεδον οὔτε ὅλως τῶν συνεχῶν οὐθὲυ ἔσται ἄτομον, οὐ μόνον διὰ τὸ νῦν λεχθέν, ἀλλὰ καὶ ὅτι συμβήσεται διαιρεῖσθαι τὸ ἄτομον.
It is manifest, then, from what has been said, that neither a line, nor a plane, nor generally any of continuous things will be indivisible, not only because of what has just been said, but also because it will result that the indivisible is divided.
ἐπεὶ γὰρ ἐν ἅπαντι χρόνῳ τὸ θᾶττον καὶ βραδύτερον ἔστι, τὸ δὲ θᾶττον πλεῖον διέρχεται ἐν τῷ ἴσῳ χρόνῳ, ἐνδέχεται δὲ καὶ διπλάσιον καὶ ἡμιόλιον διιέναι μῆκος (εἴη γὰρ ἂν οὗτος ὁ λόγος τοῦ τάχους, ἐνηνέχθω οὖν τὸ θᾶττον ἡμιόλιον ἐν τῷ αὐτῷ χρόνῳ, καὶ διῃρήσθω τὰ μεγέθη τὸ μὲν τοῦ θάττονος εἰς τρία ἄτομα, ἐφʼ ὧν AB ΒΓ ΓΔ, τὸ δὲ τοῦ βραδυτέρου εἰς δύο, ἐφʼ ὧν ΕΖ ΖΗ\p{IsGreek}).
For since in every time there is a faster and a slower, and the faster traverses more in an equal time, and it is possible for it to traverse a length double or one and a half times as great (for this might be the ratio of their speeds; let the faster, then, have been carried one and a half times as far in the same time, and let the magnitudes be divided, that of the faster into three indivisible parts, AB, BC, CD, and that of the slower into two, EZ, ZH).
οὐκοῦν καὶ ὁ χρόνος διαιρεθήσεται εἰς τρία ἄτομα· τὸ γὰρ ἴσον ἐν τῷ ἴσῳ χρόνω δίεισιν.
Consequently, the time will also be divided into three indivisible parts; for it traverses an equal magnitude in an equal time.
διῃρήσθω οὖν ὁ χρόνος εἰς τὰ ΚΛ ΛΜ MN. πάλιν δʼ ἐπεὶ τὸ βραδύτερον ἐνήνεκται τὴν ΕΖΗ, καὶ ὁ χρόνος τμηθήσεται δίχα.
Let the time, then, be divided into KL, LM, MN. Again, since the slower has been carried over EZH, the time will also be cut in two.
διαιρεθήσεται ἄρα τὸ ἄτομον, καὶ τὸ ἀμερὲς οὐκ ἐν ἀτόμῳ δίει. σιν ἀλλʼ ἐν πλείονι.
Therefore the indivisible [part of time] will be divided, and that which has no parts will not be traversed in an indivisible time, but in more.
φανερὸν οὖν ὅτι οὐδέν ἐστ. ι τῶν συνεχῶν ἀμερές.
It is manifest, therefore, that nothing of continuous things has no parts.