Plato and the Other Companions of Sokrates, 3rd ed. Volume 1Grote, George
Philosophy
Plato and the Other Companions of Sokrates, 3rd ed. Volume 1
Grote, George
Philosophy, Ancient; Plato; Socrates, 470 BC-399 BC
illustrated it, at considerable length, in my chapter on the Platonic
Theætêtus, where it is announced by Theætetus and controverted by
Sokrates.[223]
[Footnote 223: See below, vol. iii. ch. xxviii. Compare Aristokles ap.
Eusebium, Præp. Ev. xiv. 18, 19, and Sextus Emp. adv. Mathemat. vii.
190-197, vi. 53. Sextus gives a summary of this doctrine of the
Kyrenaics, more fair and complete than that given by Aristokles--at
least so far as the extract from the latter in Eusebius enables us to
judge. Aristokles impugns it vehemently, and tries to fasten upon it
many absurd consequences--in my judgment without foundation. It is
probable that by the term [Greek: pa/thos] the Kyrenaics meant simply
sensations internal and external: and that the question, as they
handled it, was about the reality of the supposed Substratum or Object
of sense, independent of any sentient Subject. It is also probable
that, in explaining their views, they did not take account of the
memory of past sensations--and the expectation of future sensations,
in successions or conjunctions more or less similar--associating in
the mind with the sensation present and actual, to form what is called
a permanent object of sense. I think it likely that they set forth
their own doctrine in a narrow and inadequate manner.
But this defect is noway corrected by Aristokles their opponent. On
the contrary, he attacks them on their strong side: he vindicates
against them the hypothesis of the ultra phenomenal, absolute,
transcendental Object, independent of and apart from any sensation,
present, past, or future--and from any sentient Subject. Besides that,
he assumes them to deny, or ignore, many points which their theory
noway requires them to deny. He urges one argument which, when
properly understood, goes not against them, but strongly in their
favour. "If these philosophers," says Aristokles (Eus. xiv. 19, 1),
"know that they experience sensation and perceive, they must know
something beyond the sensation itself. If I say [Greek: e)gô\
kai/omai], 'I am being burned,' this is a proposition, not a
sensation. These three things are of necessity co-essential--the
sensation itself, the Object which causes it, the Subject which feels
it ([Greek: a)na/gkê ge tri/a tau=ta sunuphi/stasthai--to/ te pa/thos
au)to\ kai\ to\ poiou=n kai\ to\ pa/schon])." In trying to make good
his conclusion--That you cannot know the sensation without the Object
of sense--Aristokles at the same time asserts that the Object cannot
be known apart from the sensation, nor apart from the knowing Subject.
He asserts that the three are by necessity _co-essential--i.e._
implicated and indivisible in substance and existence: if
distinguishable therefore, distinguishable only logically ([Greek:
lo/gô| chôrista\]), admitting of being looked at in different points
of view. But this is exactly the case of his opponents, when properly
stated. They do not deny Object: they do not deny Subject: but they
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