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something either is or is not (for this one might perhaps take to be a begging
of the question), but that he shall say something which is significant both for
himself and for another; for this is necessary, if he really is to say anything.
For, if he means nothing, such a man will not be capable of reasoning, either
with himself or with another. But if any one grants this, demonstration will be
possible; for we shall already have something definite. The person responsible
for the proof, however, is not he who demonstrates but he who listens; for
while disowning reason he listens to reason. And again he who admits this
has admitted that something is true apart from demonstration (so that not
everything will be ‘so and not so’).
First then this at least is obviously true, that the word ‘be’ or ‘not be’ has a
definite meaning, so that not everything will be ‘so and not so’. Again, if
‘man’ has one meaning, let this be ‘two-footed animal’; by having one
meaning I understand this:-if ‘man’ means ‘X’, then if A is a man ‘X’ will be
what ‘being a man’ means for him. (It makes no difference even if one were
to say a word has several meanings, if only they are limited in number; for to
each definition there might be assigned a different word. For instance, we
might say that ‘man’ has not one meaning but several, one of which would
have one definition, viz. ‘two-footed animal’, while there might be also
several other definitions if only they were limited in number; for a peculiar
name might be assigned to each of the definitions. If, however, they were not
limited but one were to say that the word has an infinite number of meanings,
obviously reasoning would be impossible; for not to have one meaning is to
have no meaning, and if words have no meaning our reasoning with one
another, and indeed with ourselves, has been annihilated; for it is impossible
to think of anything if we do not think of one thing; but if this is possible, one
name might be assigned to this thing.)
Let it be assumed then, as was said at the beginning, that the name has a
meaning and has one meaning; it is impossible, then, that ‘being a man’
should mean precisely ‘not being a man’, if ‘man’ not only signifies
something about one subject but also has one significance (for we do not
identify ‘having one significance’ with ‘signifying something about one
subject’, since on that assumption even ‘musical’ and ‘white’ and ‘man’
would have had one significance, so that all things would have been one; for
they would all have had the same significance).
And it will not be possible to be and not to be the same thing, except in
virtue of an ambiguity, just as if one whom we call ‘man’, others were to call
‘not-man’; but the point in question is not this, whether the same thing can at
the same time be and not be a man in name, but whether it can in fact. Now if
‘man’ and ‘not-man’ mean nothing different, obviously ‘not being a man’ will
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Buch The Complete Aristotle"
The Complete Aristotle
- Titel
- The Complete Aristotle
- Autor
- Aristotle
- Datum
- ~322 B.C.
- Sprache
- englisch
- Lizenz
- PD
- Abmessungen
- 21.0 x 29.7 cm
- Seiten
- 2328
- Schlagwörter
- Philosophy, Antique, Philosophie, Antike, Dialogues, Metaphysik, Metaphysics, Ideologie, Ideology, Englisch
- Kategorien
- Geisteswissenschaften
- International
Inhaltsverzeichnis
- Part 1; Logic (Organon) 3
- Categories 4
- On Interpretation 34
- Prior Analytics, Book I 56
- Prior Analytics, Book II 113
- Posterior Analytics, Book I 149
- Posterior Analytics, Book II 193
- Topics, Book I 218
- Topics, Book II 221
- Topics, Book III 237
- Topics, Book IV 248
- Topics, Book V 266
- Topics, Book VI 291
- Topics, Book VII 317
- Topics, Book VIII 326
- On Sophistical Refutations 348
- Part 2; Universal Physics 396
- Physics, Book I 397
- Physics, Book II 415
- Physics, Book III 432
- Physics, Book IV 449
- Physics, Book V 481
- Physics, Book VI 496
- Physics, Book VII 519
- Physics, Book VIII 533
- On the Heavens, Book I 570
- On the Heavens, Book II 599
- On the Heavens, Book III 624
- On the Heavens, Book IV 640
- On Generation and Corruption, Book I 651
- On Generation and Corruption, Book II 685
- Meteorology, Book I 707
- Meteorology, Book II 733
- Meteorology, Book III 760
- Meteorology, Book IV 773
- Part 3; Human Physics 795
- On the Soul, Book I 796
- On the Soul, Book II 815
- On the Soul, Book III 840
- On Sense and the Sensible 861
- On Memory and Reminiscence 889
- On Sleep and Sleeplessness 899
- On Dreams 909
- On Prophesying by Dreams 918
- On Longevity and the Shortness of Life 923
- On Youth, Old Age, Life and Death, and Respiration 929
- Part 4; Animal Physics 952
- The History of Animals, Book I 953
- The History of Animals, Book II translated 977
- The History of Animals, Book III 1000
- The History of Animals, Book IV 1029
- The History of Animals, Book V 1056
- The History of Animals, Book VI 1094
- The History of Animals, Book VII 1135
- The History of Animals, Book VIII 1150
- The History of Animals, Book IX 1186
- On the Parts of Animals, Book I 1234
- On the Parts of Animals, Book II 1249
- On the Parts of Animals, Book III 1281
- On the Parts of Animals, Book IV 1311
- On the Motion of Animals 1351
- On the Gait of Animals 1363
- On the Generation of Animals, Book I 1381
- On the Generation of Animals, Book II 1412
- On the Generation of Animals, Book III 1444
- On the Generation of Animals, Book IV 1469
- On the Generation of Animals, Book V 1496
- Part 5; Metaphysics 1516
- Part 6; Ethics and Politics 1748
- Nicomachean Ethics, Book I 1749
- Nicomachean Ethics, Book II 1766
- Nicomachean Ethics, Book III 1779
- Nicomachean Ethics, Book IV 1799
- Nicomachean Ethics, Book V 1817
- Nicomachean Ethics, Book VI 1836
- Nicomachean Ethics, Book VII 1851
- Nicomachean Ethics, Book VIII 1872
- Nicomachean Ethics, Book IX 1890
- Nicomachean Ethics, Book X 1907
- Politics, Book I 1925
- Politics, Book II 1943
- Politics, Book III 1970
- Politics, Book IV 1997
- Politics, Book V 2023
- Politics, Book VI 2053
- Politics, Book VII 2065
- Politics, Book VIII 2091
- The Athenian Constitution 2102
- Part 7; Aesthetic Writings 2156