Humanitext Reader

Theophrastus · Fragments §57d.1

Indeterminate Propositions and Their Truth Conditions

Passage 51 of 196 · Greek

Summary

Theophrastus, in his *On Affirmation*, terms "for some of these to exist" and "for the other to exist" as "indeterminate," explaining the reasons based on their truth conditions under different existential states of their components.

§57d.1Fr. 57d Ἐμνημόνευσε τοῦ οὕτως ἀδιορίστου καὶ Θ. ἐν τῷ περὶ Καταφάσεως· τὸ γὰρ εἶναί τι τούτων καὶ τὸ ἕτερον εἶναι ἀδιόριστα λέγει, τὸ μὲν εἶναί τι τούτων, ὅτι καὶ πάντων ὄντων ἀληθὲς καὶ τῶν μὲν ὄντων τῶν δὲ μή· τὸ δὲ τὸ ἕτερον εἶναι, ὅτι καὶ τοῦτο ἀληθὲς καὶ ἀμφοτέρων ὄντων καὶ τοῦ ἑτέρου μόνου.
Theophrastus also made mention of the indeterminate in this sense in his *On Affirmation*; for he calls "for some of these to exist" and "for the other to exist" indeterminate: the former, "for some of these to exist," because it is true both when all exist and when some exist and others do not; the latter, "for the other to exist," because this too is true both when both exist and when only the one exists.

Notes

  1. 57d.1ἀδιόριστα λέγει — The verb λέγει takes a double accusative (or object and predicate accusative). Here, the substantivized infinitive phrases τὸ εἶναί τι τούτων καὶ τὸ ἕτερον εἶναι function as the object, while the neuter plural accusative adjective ἀδιόριστα serves as the predicate accusative, meaning "he calls [them] indeterminate."
  2. 57d.1πάντων ὄντων — A genitive absolute construction consisting of the participle ὄντων (present participle genitive plural of εἰμί) and the subject πάντων, expressing a condition: "when all exist." The subsequent phrases τῶν μὲν ὄντων τῶν δὲ μή and ἀμφοτέρων ὄντων are also genitive absolutes of the same type.
  3. 57d.1τοῦ ἑτέρου μόνου — A genitive absolute construction where the participle ὄντος (present participle genitive singular of εἰμί) is omitted. In parallel with the preceding ἀμφοτέρων ὄντων, it is understood as "when only the one exists."

Cite this passage

Theophrastus, Fragments §57d.1. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0093.tlg010x09.humanitext-grc1:57d.1

Please note the AI-draft status of the translation and the date accessed.

Translation, notes and summary are AI-generated drafts, revised through reader feedback.