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Theophrastus · Fragments §63d.1

Propositions by Proslepsis and Categorical Statements

Passage 61 of 196 · Greek

Summary

This passage discusses the definition of "propositions by proslepsis" in Aristotle and Theophrastus, how they implicitly contain three terms, and their essential equivalence to categorical propositions.

§63d.1Fr. 63d Λέγει Ἀριστοτέλης ὅτι ἐν ταῖς τοιαύταις προτάοσεσιν αἱ δυνάμει τοὺς τρεῖς ὅρους ἐν ἑαυταῖς ἔχουσιν, ὁποῖαί εἰσιν οὓς ἐξέθετο νῦν, ὁποῖαί εἰσιν αἱ κατὰ πρόσληψιν ὑπὸ Θεοφράστου λεγόμεναι·
Aristotle says that in such propositions they implicitly contain the three terms within themselves, which are of the kind he has just set out, of the kind called "propositions by proslepsis" by Theophrastus.
αὗται γὰρ τοὺς τρεῖς ὅρους ἔχουσί πως· ἐν γὰρ τῇ καθʼ οὖ τὸ Β παντὸς κατʼ ἐκείνου καὶ τὸ Α παντὸς, ἐν τοῖς δύο ὅροις, τῷ τε Β καὶ τῷ Α, τοῖς ὡρισμένοις ἤδη πως περιείληπται καὶ ὁ τρίτος, καθʼ οὗ τὸ Β κατηγορεῖται, πλὴν οὐχ ὁμοίως ἐκείνοις ὡρισμένος φανερός.
For these contain the three terms in a certain way: for in the proposition "of whatever B is predicated of all, of that A is also predicated of all", within the two terms, namely B and A, which are already in a certain way determined, the third term, of which B is predicated, is also enclosed, except that it is not clearly determined and manifest in the same way as those.
Ἐν δὴ ταῖς τοιαύταις προτάσεσι αἱ τῇ λέξει μόνον τῶν κατηγορικῶν διαφέρειν δοκοῦσιν, ὡς ἔδειξεν ἐν τῷ περὶ Καταφάσεως Θ ὁ μέντοι Θ. ἐν τῷ περὶ Καταφάσεως τὴν καθʼ οὗ τὸ Β, τὸ Α, ὡς ἴσον δυναμένην λαμβάνει τῇ καθʼ οὖ παντὸς τὸ Β, κατʼ ἐκείνου παντὸς τὸ Α.
Indeed, in such propositions they seem to differ from categorical propositions only in expression, as Theophrastus showed in *On Affirmation*. However, Theophrastus in *On Affirmation* takes the proposition "to that of which B is, A is" as having equal force to "of whatever B is predicated of all, of that A is also predicated of all".

Notes

  1. 63d.1αἱ δυνάμει — The noun προτάσεις is omitted after αἱ, meaning "the propositions which implicitly [contain...]". The dative δυνάμει is used adverbially to mean "implicitly" or "potentially".
  2. 63d.1τῇ καθʼ οὖ τὸ Β παντὸς κατʼ ἐκείνου καὶ τὸ Α παντὸς — The feminine singular dative article τῇ agrees with the omitted noun προτάσει, nominalizing the entire quoted clause. It is translated as "in the proposition 'of whatever B is predicated of all, of that A is also predicated of all'", which is a formulation of a prosleptic proposition.
  3. 63d.1τὴν καθʼ οὖ τὸ Β, τὸ Α — The feminine singular accusative article τὴν nominalizes the quoted phrase by taking the omitted noun προτάσιν as its antecedent, serving as the direct object of λαμβάνει. After τὸ Α in the second part, a predicate verb (such as ὑπάρχει or κατηγορεῖται) is understood to be omitted.

Cite this passage

Theophrastus, Fragments §63d.1. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0093.tlg010x09.humanitext-grc1:63d.1

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