Книга только для ознакомления
. For the earliest philosophy is, on all
subjects, like one who lisps, since it is young and in its beginnings.
For even Empedocles says bone exists by virtue of the ratio in it. Now
this is the essence and the substance of the thing. But it is
similarly necessary that flesh and each of the other tissues should be
the ratio of its elements, or that not one of them should; for it is
on account of this that both flesh and bone and everything else will
exist, and not on account of the matter, which he names,-fire and
earth and water and air. But while he would necessarily have agreed if
another had said this, he has not said it clearly.
On these questions our views have been expressed before; but let
us return to enumerate the difficulties that might be raised on
these same points; for perhaps we may get from them some help
towards our later difficulties.
Book II
1
THE investigation of the truth is in one way hard, in another
easy. An indication of this is found in the fact that no one is able
to attain the truth adequately, while, on the other hand, we do not
collectively fail, but every one says something true about the
nature of things, and while individually we contribute little or
nothing to the truth, by the union of all a considerable amount is
amassed. Therefore, since the truth seems to be like the proverbial
door, which no one can fail to hit, in this respect it must be easy,
but the fact that we can have a whole truth and not the particular
part we aim at shows the difficulty of it
|
