Complete Works of Apuleius by Apuleius

Author:Apuleius [Apuleius]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Delphi Classics
Published: 2015-02-21T00:00:00+00:00

BOOK THE THIRD. ON INTERPRETATION, OR CONCERNING THE CATEGORIC SYLLOGISM.

THE love of wisdom, which we call philosophy, is generally thought to have three parts, viz physics, ethics, and that of which I have now proposed to speak, logic, in which the art of disputation and reasoning is contained. But since [in treating of logic], we speak of a sentence of which there are various species, such as those of commanding, or narrating, of ordering, expostulating, wishing, vowing, of expressing anger, hatred, envy, kindness, commiseration, admiration, contempt, reproof, repentance, lamentation, and besides these, of introducing pleasure, and exciting fear; in all which, it is the province of an excellent orator to enunciate things of an ample nature with brevity, such as are of a confined nature diffusedly, such as are vulgar gracefully, those that are novel in a usual manner, and those that are usual accompanied with novelty; to extenuate what is great, to be able to effect the greatest things from such as are the smallest, and to accomplish many other things of the like kind; — since this is the case, there is one sentence among these which especially pertains to what is now proposed to be discussed, and which is called enunciative, comprehending a definite meaning, and being the only one among all sentences which is capable of truth or falsehood. This is called by Sergius effatum, by Varro proloquium, by Cicero enuntiatum, and by the Greeks protasis or a proposition, and also axioma, or an axiom. But I denominate it word for word, protentio and rogamentum.

Of propositions, therefore, as also of conclusions themselves, there are two species, the one enunciative, which likewise is simple, as if we should say, he who reigns is blessed; the other substitutive or conditional, which also is compounded, as if you should say he who reigns is blessed, if he is wise. For you substitute the condition, through which he is not blessed unless he is wise. Now, however, we shall speak of the enunciative, which is prior by nature, and as it were the element of the conditional proposition. There are, likewise, other differences of propositions, viz differences of quantity and quality. Of quantity, indeed, because some are universal; as, every thing that breathes lives; but others are particular; as, some animals do not breathe; and others are indefinite; as, an animal breathes. For it does not define whether every animal, or only some one breathes, yet it always has the power of a particular proposition; because it is more safe to assume that from an uncertain thing, which is less [comprehensive than what is universal]. But there are differences of the quality of propositions: some of them being affirmative, because they affirm something of a certain thing; as, virtue is good: for it affirms that goodness is in virtue: — others are negative, which deny something of a certain thing; as, pleasure is not good: for it denies that goodness is inherent in pleasure. The Stoics however think, that this

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.