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Theophrastus · Fragments §60.1

Alexander's Difficulty Concerning Wholly Hypothetical Syllogisms

Passage 55 of 196 · Greek

Summary

Alexander raises a difficulty concerning what Theophrastus calls "wholly hypothetical syllogisms," and Theophrastus' definition of them as well as their reducibility to the three figures is stated.

§60.1Fr. 60 Ἀπορεῖ δὲ ἐν τούτοις ὁ Ἀλέξανδρος περὶ τῶν λεγομένων παρὰ τῷ Θεοφράστῳ διʼ ὅλου ὑποθετικῶν διʼ ὅλου δὲ ὑποθετικοὺς ἐκάλει ὁ Θ. τοὺς καὶ τὰς προο τάσεις καὶ τὸ συμπέρασμα ἐξ ὑποθέσεως λαμβάνοντας. . . ἔλεγε δὲ ὁ Θ. ὅτι δύνανται καὶ οὗτοι ὑπὸ τὰ τρία σχήματα ἀνάγεσθαι.
In these matters, Alexander raises a difficulty concerning what are called "wholly hypothetical" in Theophrastus. Now Theophrastus called "wholly hypothetical" those which take both the premises and the conclusion from hypothesis... and Theophrastus said that these too can be reduced to the three figures.

Notes

  1. Fr. 60παρὰ τῷ Θεοφράστῳ — The preposition παρά with the dative here means "in the works of Theophrastus" or "according to Theophrastus," referring to his specific terminology or doctrine.
  2. Fr. 60τοὺς καὶ τὰς προτάσεις καὶ τὸ συμπέρασμα ἐξ ὑποθέσεως λαμβάνοντας — The participle λαμβάνοντας is masculine accusative plural, modifying the omitted noun συλλογισμούς ("syllogisms"). The correlative conjunctions καὶ...καὶ... coordinate "the premises" and "the conclusion," describing those syllogisms that derive both from hypothesis.

Cite this passage

Theophrastus, Fragments §60.1. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0093.tlg010x09.humanitext-grc1:60.1

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