Theophrastus · Fragments §53.1

Judgment and Intellect as Motions of the Soul

Passage 43 of 196 · Greek

Summary

Introducing that Theophrastus, in the first book of his *On Motion*, argues that while desires are bodily motions, judgments, contemplations, and the intellect originate in the soul itself, yet these too are agreed to be motions.

§53.1Fr. 53 Ταῦτα δὲ καὶ τῷ κορυφαίῳ ἀρέσκει τῶν Ἀριστοτέλους ἑταίρων Θλεοφράστῳ ἐν τῷ πρώτῳ τῶν περὶ κινήσεως αὐτοῦ λέγοντι ὅτι αἱ μὲν ὀρέξεις καὶ αἱ ἐπιθυμίαι καὶ ὀργαὶ σωματικαὶ κινήσεις εἰσὶ καὶ ἀπὸ τούτων ἀρχὴν ἔχουσιν, ὅσαι δὲ κρίσεις καὶ θεωρίαι, ταύτας οὐκ ἔστιν εἰς ἕτερον ἀγαγεῖν ἀλλʼ ἐν αὐτῇ τῇ ψυχῆ καὶ ἡ ἀρχὴ καὶ ἡ ἐνέργεια καὶ τὸ τέλος ἔτι δὲ δὴ καὶ ὁ νοῦς, κρεῖττόν τι μέρος καὶ θειότερον ἅτε δὴ ἔξωθεν ἐπεισιὼν, καὶ παντελῶς.

These things also please Theophrastus, the leader of Aristotle’s companions, who says in the first book of his *On Motion* that while appetites, desires, and angers are bodily motions and have their origin in these, yet as many judgments and contemplations as there are, it is not possible to reduce these to anything else, but rather in the soul itself are their origin, activity, and end; and furthermore, also the intellect, being a better and more divine part, inasmuch as it enters from without, is completely so.

Καὶ τούτοις ἐπάιγει· ὑπὲρ μὲν οὖν τούτων σκεπτέον εἴ τινα χωρισμὸν ἔχει πρὸς τὸν ὅρον· ἐπεὶ τό γε κινήσεις εἶναι καὶ ταύτας ὁμολογούμενον.

And to these he adds: "Therefore, concerning these things we must consider whether they have some separation from the definition; since that these too are motions is agreed upon."

Notes

Fr. 53λέγοντι — Dative participle agreeing with the preceding τῷ ... Θεοφράστῳ (Theophrastus), introducing what he states in his work.
Fr. 53ὅσαι δὲ κρίσεις καὶ θεωρίαι, ταύτας οὐκ ἔστιν εἰς ἕτερον ἀγαγεῖν — The relative clause ὅσαι... functions as a conditional or general relative clause without an antecedent noun, which is then picked up by the accusative plural feminine demonstrative ταύτας in the main clause. The infinitive phrase εἰς ἕτερον ἀγαγεῖν means 'to reduce/attribute to something else'.
Fr. 53ἅτε δὴ ἔξωθεν ἐπεισιὼν — The combination of the particle ἅτε with the participle (present nominative masculine singular) expresses a reason based on an objective fact ('inasmuch as / since'). This refers to the famous Aristotelian doctrine that the intellect (nous) enters from without (ἔξωθεν).
Fr. 53τό γε κινήσεις εἶναι καὶ ταύτας ὁμολογούμενον — The accusative-with-infinitive clause introduced by the article τό (κινήσεις εἶναι καὶ ταύτας, 'that these too are motions') functions as the subject, while the neuter participle ὁμολογούμενον ('is agreed upon') serves as the predicate, with the copula (ἐστί) omitted.

Cite this passage

Theophrastus, Fragments §53.1. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0093.tlg010x09.humanitext-grc1:53.1

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