§4.1#1## Δ.
Μετὰ δὲ ταῦτα περὶ τῶν πρὸς τὸ γένος καὶ τὸ ἴδιον ἐπισκεπτέον.
BOOK IV After this, we must examine questions relating to genus and property.
Ἔστι δὲ ταῦτα στοιχεῖα τῶν πρὸς τοὺς ὅρους· περὶ αὐτῶν δὲ τούτων ὀλιγάκις αἱ σκέψεις γίνονται τοῖς διαλεγομένοις.
These are elements of the questions relating to definitions; and discussions about these themselves are rarely held by disputants.
Ἂν δὴ τεθῇ γένος τινὸς τῶν ὄντων, πρῶτον μὲν ἐπιβλέπειν ἐπὶ πάντα τὰ συγγενῆ τῷ λεχθέντι, εἴ τινος μὴ κατηγορεῖται, καθάπερ ἐπὶ τοῦ συμβεβηκότος, οἷον εἰ τῆς ἡδονῆς τἀγαθὸν γένος κεῖται, εἴ τις ἡδονὴ μὴ ἀγαθόν· εἰ γὰρ τοῦτο, δῆλον ὅτι οὐ γένος τἀγαθὸν τῆς ἡδονῆς· τὸ γὰρ γένος κατὰ πάντων τῶν ὑπὸ τὸ αὐτὸ εἶδος κατηγορεῖται.
If, then, a genus is laid down for any of the things that exist, first one must look at all things akin to that which is mentioned, to see if it is not predicated of any of them, just as in the case of accident; as for example, if the good is laid down as the genus of pleasure, whether some pleasure is not good; for if this is so, it is clear that the good is not the genus of pleasure; for the genus is predicated of all things falling under the same species.
Εἶτα εἰ μὴ ἐν τῷ τί ἐστι κατηγορεῖται, ἀλλ᾿ ὡς συμβεβηκός, καθάπερ τὸ λευκὸν τῆς χιόνος, ἢ ψυχῆς τὸ κινούμενον ὑφ᾿ αὑτοῦ.
Next, one must see if it is predicated not in the "what it is", but as an accident, as "white" is of snow, or "self-moving" of the soul.
Οὔτε γὰρ ἡ χιὼν ὅπερ λευκόν, διόπερ οὐ γένος τὸ λευκὸν τῆς χιόνος, οὔθ᾿ ἡ ψυχὴ ὅπερ κινούμενον· συμβέβηκε δ᾿ αὐτῇ κινεῖσθαι, καθάπερ καὶ τῷ ζῴῳ πολλάκις βαδίζειν τε καὶ βαδίζοντι εἶναι.
For snow is not essentially white, wherefore white is not the genus of snow, nor is the soul essentially a moving thing; but to be moved is an accident to it, just as it is often an accident to an animal to walk and to be walking.
Ἔτι τὸ κινούμενον οὐ τί ἐστιν, ἀλλά τι ποιοῦν ἢ πάσχον σημαίνειν ἔοικεν.
Moreover, "moving" seems to signify not what a thing is, but its doing or undergoing something.
Ὁμοίως δὲ καὶ τὸ λευκόν· οὐ γὰρ τί ἐστιν ἡ χιών, ἀλλὰ ποιόν τι δηλοῖ.
Similarly also with "white"; for it does not declare what snow is, but what quality it has.
Ὥστ᾿ οὐδέτερον αὐτῶν ἐν τῷ τί ἐστι κατηγορεῖται.
So neither of them is predicated in the "what it is".
Μάλιστα δ᾿ ἐπὶ τὸν τοῦ συμβεβηκότος ὁρισμὸν ἐπιβλέπειν, εἰ ἐφαρμόττει ἐπὶ τὸ ῥηθὲν γένος, οἷον καὶ τὰ νῦν εἰρημένα.
Most of all, one should look at the definition of accident, to see if it fits the alleged genus, as in the cases just mentioned.
Ἐνδέχεται γὰρ κινεῖν τι αὐτὸ ἑαυτὸ καὶ μή, ὁμοίως δὲ καὶ λευκὸν εἶναι καὶ μή.
For it is possible for a thing to move itself and also not to move itself, and similarly to be white and not to be white.
Ὥστ᾿ οὐδέτερον αὐτῶν γένος ἀλλὰ συμβεβηκός, ἐπειδὴ συμβεβηκὸς ἐλέγομεν ὃ ἐνδέχεται ὑπάρχειν τινὶ καὶ μή.
So neither of them is a genus but an accident, since we said that an accident is that which can belong to something and also not belong.
Ἔτι εἰ μὴ ἐν τῇ αὐτῇ διαιρέσει τὸ γένος καὶ τὸ εἶδος, ἀλλὰ τὸ μὲν οὐσία τὸ δὲ ποιόν, ἢ τὸ μὲν πρός τι τὸ δὲ ποιόν, οἷον ἡ μὲν χιὼν καὶ ὁ κύκνος οὐσία, τὸ δὲ λευκὸν οὐκ οὐσία ἀλλὰ ποιόν, ὥστ᾿ οὐ γένος τὸ λευκὸν τῆς χιόνος οὐδὲ τοῦ κύκνου.
Moreover, one must see if the genus and the species are not in the same division, but one is substance and the other quality, or one is relative and the other quality; as for example, snow and swan are substances, while white is not substance but quality, so that white is not the genus of snow nor of swan.
Πάλιν ἡ μὲν ἐπιστήμη τῶν πρός τι, τὸ δ᾿ ἀγαθὸν καὶ τὸ καλὸν ποιόν, ὥστ᾿ οὐ γένος τὸ ἀγαθὸν ἢ τὸ καλὸν τῆς ἐπιστήμης· τὰ γὰρ τῶν πρός τι γένη καὶ αὐτὰ τῶν πρός τι δεῖ εἶναι, καθάπερ ἐπὶ τοῦ διπλασίου· καὶ γὰρ τὸ πολλαπλάσιον, ὂν γένος τοῦ διπλασίου, καὶ αὐτὸ τῶν πρὸς τί ἐστιν.
Again, knowledge is a relative, while the good and the beautiful are qualities, so that the good or the beautiful is not the genus of knowledge; for the genera of relatives must themselves also be relatives, as in the case of the double; for multiple, which is the genus of double, is itself also a relative.
Καθόλου δ᾿ εἰπεῖν, ὑπὸ τὴν αὐτὴν διαίρεσιν δεῖ τὸ γένος τῷ εἴδει εἶναι· εἰ γὰρ τὸ εἶδος οὐσία, καὶ τὸ γένος, καὶ εἰ ποιὸν τὸ εἶδος, καὶ τὸ γένος ποιόν τι, οἷον εἰ τὸ λευκὸν ποιόν τι, καὶ τὸ χρῶμα.
Generally speaking, the genus must be under the same division as the species; for if the species is substance, the genus must be too, and if the species is quality, the genus must be quality, as, if white is a quality, color must be too.
Ὁμοίως δὲ καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν ἄλλων.
Similarly also in other cases.
Πάλιν εἰ ἀνάγκη ἢ ἐνδέχεται τοῦ τεθέντος ἐν τῷ γένει μετέχειν τὸ γένος.
Again, one must see if it is necessary or possible for the genus to partake of what has been placed in the genus.
Ὅρος δὲ τοῦ μετέχειν τὸ ἐπιδέχεσθαι τὸν τοῦ μετεχομένου λόγον. Δῆλον οὖν ὅτι τὰ μὲν εἴδη μετέχει τῶν γενῶν, τὰ δὲ γένη τῶν εἰδῶν οὔ· τὸ μὲν γὰρ εἶδος ἐπιδέχεται τὸν τοῦ γένους λόγον, τὸ δὲ γένος τὸν τοῦ εἴδους οὔ.
The definition of "partaking" is "admitting the formula of that which is partaken of." It is clear, therefore, that while species partake of genera, genera do not partake of species; for the species admits the formula of the genus, but the genus does not admit that of the species.
Σκεπτέον οὖν εἰ μετέχει ἢ ἐνδέχεται μετέχειν τοῦ εἴδους τὸ ἀποδοθὲν γένος, οἷον εἴ τις τοῦ ὄντος ἢ τοῦ ἑνὸς γένος τι ἀποδοίη· συμβήσεται γὰρ μετέχειν τὸ γένος τοῦ εἴδους· κατὰ πάντων γὰρ τῶν ὄντων τὸ ὂν καὶ τὸ ἓν κατηγορεῖται, ὥστε καὶ ὁ λόγος αὐτῶν.
One must examine, therefore, if the genus assigned partakes or can partake of the species; as for example, if someone should assign something as the genus of "being" or of "the one"; for it will follow that the genus partakes of the species; for "being" and "the one" are predicated of all things that exist, and so also is their formula.