第 12 节
作者:旅游巴士      更新:2021-03-08 19:28      字数:9322
  existence than the other。
  Theaet。 True。
  Str。 The same may be said of other things; seeing that the
  nature of
  the other has a real existence; the parts of this nature must
  equally be supposed to exist。
  Theaet。 Of course。
  Str。 Then; as would appear; the opposition of a part of the other;
  and of a part of being; to one another; is; if I may venture to say
  so; as truly essence as being itself; and implies not the opposite
  of being; but only what is other than being。
  Theaet。 Beyond question。
  Str。 What then shall we call it?
  Theaet。 Clearly; not…being; and this is the very nature for which
  the Sophist compelled us to search。
  Str。 And has not this; as you were saying; as real an existence as
  any other class? May I not say with confidence that not…being has an
  assured existence; and a nature of its own? just as the great was
  found to be great and the beautiful beautiful; and the not…great
  not…great; and the not…beautiful not…beautiful; in the same manner
  not…being has been found to be and is not…being; and is to
  be reckoned
  one among the many classes of being。 Do you; Theaetetus; still feel
  any doubt of this?
  Theaet。 None whatever。
  Str。 Do you observe that our scepticism has carried us beyond the
  range of Parmenides' prohibition?
  Theaet。 In what?
  Str。 We have advanced to a further point; and shown him
  more than he
  for bad us to investigate。
  Theaet。 How is that?
  Str。 Why; because he says…
  Not…being never is; and do thou keep thy thoughts from this way
  of enquiry。
  Theaet。 Yes; he says so。
  Str。 Whereas; we have not only proved that things which
  are not are;
  but we have shown what form of being not…being is; for we have shown
  that the nature of the other is; and is distributed over all
  things in
  their relations to one another; and whatever part of the other is
  contrasted with being; this is precisely what we have
  ventured to call
  not…being。
  Theaet。 And surely; Stranger; we were quite right。
  Str。 Let not any one say; then; that while affirming the
  opposition of not…being to being; we still assert the being of
  not…being; for as to whether there is an opposite of being; to that
  enquiry we have long said good…bye…it may or may not be; and may or
  may not be capable of definition。 But as touching our present
  account of not…being; let a man either convince us of error; or; so
  long as he cannot; he too must say; as we are saying; that there is
  a communion of classes; and that being; and difference or other;
  traverse all things and mutually interpenetrate; so that the other
  partakes of being; and by reason of this participation is; and yet
  is not that of which it partakes; but other; and being other than
  being; it is clearly a necessity that not…being should be。 again;
  being; through partaking of the other; becomes a class other than
  the remaining classes; and being other than all of them; is not each
  one of them; and is not all the rest; so that undoubtedly there are
  thousands upon thousands of cases in which being is not; and
  all other
  things; whether regarded individually or collectively; in many
  respects are; and in many respects are not。
  Theaet。 True。
  Str。 And he who is sceptical of this contradiction; must think how
  he can find something better to say; or if。 he sees a puzzle; and
  his pleasure is to drag words this way and that; the argument will
  prove to him; that he is not making a worthy use of his
  faculties; for
  there is no charm in such puzzles; and there is no difficulty in
  detecting them; but we can tell him of something else the pursuit of
  which is noble and also difficult。
  Theaet。 What is it?
  Str。 A thing of which I have already spoken;…letting alone these
  puzzles as involving no difficulty; he should be able to follow; and
  criticize in detail every argument; and when a man says that the
  same is in a manner other; or that other is the same; to understand
  and refute him from his own point of view; and in the same respect
  in which he asserts either of these affections。 But to show that
  somehow and in some sense the same is other; or the other
  same; or the
  great small; or the like unlike; and to delight in always bringing
  forward such contradictions; is no real refutation; but is
  clearly the
  new…born babe of some one who is only beginning to approach the
  problem of being。
  Theaet。 To be sure。
  Str。 For certainly; my friend; the attempt to separate all
  existences from one another is a barbarism and utterly unworthy of
  an educated or philosophical mind。
  Theaet。 Why so?
  Str。 The attempt at universal separation is the final annihilation
  of all reasoning; for only by the union of conceptions with one
  another do we attain to discourse of reason。
  Theaet。 True。
  Str。 And; observe that we were only just in time in making a
  resistance to such separatists; and compelling them to admit that
  one thing mingles with another。
  Theaet。 Why so?
  Str。 Why; that we might be able to assert discourse to be a kind
  of being; for if we could not; the worst of all consequences would
  follow; we should have no philosophy。 Moreover; the necessity for
  determining the nature of discourse presses upon us at this
  moment; if
  utterly deprived of it; we could no more hold discourse; and
  deprived of it we should be if we admitted that there was no
  admixture
  of natures at all。
  Theaet。 Very true。 But I do not understand why at this moment we
  must determine the nature of discourse。
  Str。 Perhaps you will see more clearly by the help of the
  following explanation。
  Theaet。 What explanation?
  Str。 Not…being has been acknowledged by us to be one among many
  classes diffused over all being。
  Theaet。 True。
  Str。 And thence arises the question; whether not…being mingles
  with opinion and language。
  Theaet。 How so?
  Str。 If not…being has no part in the proposition; then all things
  must be true; but if not…being has a part; then false opinion and
  false speech are possible; for。 think or to say what is not…is
  falsehood; which thus arises in the region of thought and in speech。
  Theaet。 That is quite true。
  Str。 And where there is falsehood surely there must be deceit。
  Theaet。 Yes。
  Str。 And if there is deceit; then all things must be full of idols
  and images and fancies。
  Theaet。 To be sure。
  Str。 Into that region the Sophist; as we said; made his
  escape; and;
  when he had got there; denied the very possibility of falsehood; no
  one; he argued; either conceived or uttered falsehood; inasmuch as
  not…being did not in any way partake of being。
  Theaet。 True。
  Str。 And now; not…being has been shown to partake of being; and
  therefore he will not continue fighting in this direction;
  but he will
  probably say that some ideas partake of not…being; and some not; and
  that language and opinion are of the non…partaking class; and he
  will still fight to the death against the existence of the
  image…making and phantastic art; in which we have placed
  him; because;
  as he will say; opinion and language do not partake of not…being;
  and unless this participation exists; there can be no such thing as
  falsehood。 And; with the view of meeting this evasion; we must begin
  by enquiring into the nature of language; opinion; and
  imagination; in
  order that when we find them we may find also that they have
  communion
  with not…being; and; having made out the connection of them; may
  thus prove that falsehood exists; and therein we will imprison the
  Sophist; if he deserves it; or; if not; we will let him go again and
  look for him in another class。
  Theaet。 Certainly; Stranger; there appears to be truth in what was
  said about the Sophist at first; that he was of a class not easily
  caught; for he seems to have abundance of defences; which he throws
  up; and which must every one of them be stormed before we can reach
  the man himself。 And even now; we have with difficulty got
  through his
  first defence; which is the not…being of not…being; and lo! here is
  another; for we have still to show that falsehood exists in
  the sphere
  of language and opinion; and there will be another and
  another line of
  defence without end。
  Str。 Any one; Theaetetus; who is able to advance even a
  little ought
  to be of good cheer; for what would he who is dispirited at a little
  progress do; if he were making none at all; or even undergoing a
  repulse? Such a faint heart; as the proverb says; will never take a
  city: but now that we have succeeded thus far; the citadel is ours;
  and what remains is easier。
  Theaet。 Very true。
  Str。 Then; as I was saying; let us first of all obtain a
  conception of language and opinion; in order that we may have
  clearer grounds for determining; whether not…being has any concern
  with them; or whether they are both always true; and neither of them
  ever false。
  Theaet。 True。
  Str。 Then; now; let us speak of names; as before we were
  speaking of
  ideas and letters; for that is the direction in which the answer may
  be expected。
  Theaet。 And what is the question at issue ab