Aristotelis topica et sophistici elenchi. Ed. W.D. Ross,
Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1958 (repr. 1970, 1st edn. corr.)
34 (183a27–184b8)
᾿Εκ πόσων μὲν οὖν καὶ ποίων γίνονται τοῖς διαλεγομέ-183а27
νοις οἱ παραλογισμοί, καὶ πῶς δείξομέν τε ψευδόμενον καὶ
παράδοξα λέγειν ποιήσομεν, ἔτι δ’ ἐκ τίνων συμβαίνει ὁ
συλλογισμός, καὶ πῶς ἐρωτητέον καὶ τίς ἡ τάξις τῶν ἐρω-183а30
τημάτων, ἔτι δὲ πρὸς τί χρήσιμοι πάντες εἰσὶν οἱ τοιοῦτοι λό-
γοι, καὶ περὶ ἀποκρίσεως ἁπλῶς τε πάσης καὶ πῶς λυ-
τέον τοὺς λόγους καὶ τοὺς συλλογισμούς, εἰρήσθω περὶ ἁπάν-
των ἡμῖν ταῦτα. λοιπὸν δὲ περὶ τῆς ἐξ ἀρχῆς προθέσεως
ἀναμνήσασιν εἰπεῖν τι βραχὺ περὶ αὐτῆς καὶ τέλος ἐπιθεῖ-183а35
ναι τοῖς εἰρημένοις.
Προειλόμεθα μὲν οὖν εὑρεῖν δύναμίν τινα συλλογιστικὴν
περὶ τοῦ προβληθέντος ἐκ τῶν ὑπαρχόντων ὡς ἐνδοξοτάτων·
τοῦτο γὰρ ἔργον ἐστὶ τῆς διαλεκτικῆς καθ’ αὑτὴν καὶ τῆς
πειραστικῆς. ἐπεὶ δὲ προκατασκευαστέον πρὸς αὐτὴν διὰ 183b
τὴν τῆς σοφιστικῆς γειτνίασιν, ὥστ’ οὐ μόνον πεῖραν δύνασθαι
λαβεῖν διαλεκτικῶς ἀλλὰ καὶ ὡς εἰδώς, διὰ τοῦτο οὐ μόνον
τὸ λεχθὲν ἔργον ὑπεθέμεθα τῆς πραγματείας, τὸ λόγον
δύνασθαι λαβεῖν, ἀλλὰ καὶ ὅπως λόγον ὑπέχοντες φυλά-183b5
ξομεν τὴν θέσιν ὡς δι’ ἐνδοξοτάτων ὁμοτρόπως. τὴν δ’ αἰ-
τίαν εἰρήκαμεν τούτου, ἐπεὶ καὶ διὰ τοῦτο Σωκράτης ἠρώτα
ἀλλ’ οὐκ ἀπεκρίνετο· ὡμολόγει γὰρ οὐκ εἰδέναι. δεδήλωται
δ’ ἐν τοῖς πρότερον καὶ πρὸς πόσα καὶ ἐκ πόσων τοῦτο ἔσται,
καὶ πόθεν εὐπορήσομεν τούτων, ἔτι δὲ πῶς ἐρωτητέον καὶ τα-183b10
κτέον τὴν ἐρώτησιν πᾶσαν, καὶ περί τε ἀποκρίσεων καὶ λύ-
σεων τῶν πρὸς τοὺς συλλογισμούς. δεδήλωται δὲ καὶ περὶ
τῶν ἄλλων ὅσα τῆς αὐτῆς μεθόδου τῶν λόγων ἐστίν. πρὸς
δὲ τούτοις περὶ τῶν παραλογισμῶν διεληλύθαμεν, ὥσπερ εἰ-
ρήκαμεν ἤδη πρότερον.
ὅτι μὲν οὖν ἔχει τέλος ἱκανῶς ἃ 183b15
προειλόμεθα, φανερόν· δεῖ δ’ ἡμᾶς μὴ λεληθέναι τὸ συμ-
βεβηκὸς περὶ ταύτην τὴν πραγματείαν. τῶν γὰρ εὑρι-
σκομένων ἁπάντων τὰ μὲν παρ’ ἑτέρων ληφθέντα πρότερον
πεπονημένα κατὰ μέρος ἐπιδέδωκεν ὑπὸ τῶν παραλαβόντων
ὕστερον, τὰ δ’ ἐξ ὑπαρχῆς εὑρισκόμενα μικρὰν τὸ πρῶτον 183b20
ἐπίδοσιν λαμβάνειν εἴωθε, χρησιμωτέραν μέντοι πολλῷ τῆς
ὕστερον ἐκ τούτων αὐξήσεως· μέγιστον γὰρ ἴσως ἀρχὴ παν-
τός, ὥσπερ λέγεται. διὸ καὶ χαλεπώτατον· ὅσῳ γὰρ κρά-
τιστον τῇ δυνάμει, τοσούτῳ μικρότατον ὂν τῷ μεγέθει χα-
λεπώτατόν ἐστιν ὀφθῆναι. ταύτης δ’ εὑρημένης ῥᾷον τὸ προσ-183b25
τιθέναι καὶ συναύξειν τὸ λοιπόν ἐστιν· ὅπερ καὶ περὶ τοὺς ῥη-
τορικοὺς λόγους συμβέβηκε, σχεδὸν δὲ καὶ περὶ τὰς ἄλλας
ἁπάσας τέχνας. οἱ μὲν γὰρ τὰς ἀρχὰς εὑρόντες παντελῶς
ἐπὶ μικρόν τι προήγαγον· οἱ δὲ νῦν εὐδοκιμοῦντες, παρα-
λαβόντες παρὰ πολλῶν οἷον ἐκ διαδοχῆς κατὰ μέρος προ-183b30
αγαγόντων, οὕτως ηὐξήκασι, Τεισίας μὲν μετὰ τοὺς πρώτους,
Θρασύμαχος δὲ μετὰ Τεισίαν, Θεόδωρος δὲ μετὰ τοῦτον,
καὶ πολλοὶ πολλὰ συνενηνόχασι μέρη· διόπερ οὐδὲν θαυ-
μαστὸν ἔχειν τι πλῆθος τὴν τέχνην. ταύτης δὲ τῆς πρα-
γματείας οὐ τὸ μὲν ἦν τὸ δ’ οὐκ ἦν προεξειργασμένον, ἀλλ’ 183b35
οὐδὲν παντελῶς ὑπῆρχεν. καὶ γὰρ τῶν περὶ τοὺς ἐριστικοὺς
λόγους μισθαρνούντων ὁμοία τις ἦν ἡ παίδευσις τῇ Γοργίου
πραγματείᾳ· λόγους γὰρ οἱ μὲν ῥητορικοὺς οἱ δὲ ἐρωτητικοὺς
ἐδίδοσαν ἐκμανθάνειν, εἰς οὓς πλειστάκις ἐμπίπτειν ᾠήθησαν
ἑκάτεροι τοὺς ἀλλήλων λόγους. διόπερ ταχεῖα μὲν ἄτεχνος 184a
δ’ ἦν ἡ διδασκαλία τοῖς μανθάνουσι παρ’ αὐτῶν· οὐ γὰρ
τέχνην ἀλλὰ τὰ ἀπὸ τῆς τέχνης διδόντες παιδεύειν ὑπ-
ελάμβανον, ὥσπερ ἂν εἴ τις, ἐπιστήμην φάσκων παραδώσειν
ἐπὶ τὸ μηδὲν πονεῖν τοὺς πόδας, εἶτα σκυτοτομικὴν μὲν μὴ 184a5
διδάσκοι μηδ’ ὅθεν δυνήσεται πορίζεσθαι τὰ τοιαῦτα, δοίη
δὲ πολλὰ γένη παντοδαπῶν ὑποδημάτων· οὗτος γὰρ βε-
βοήθηκε μὲν πρὸς τὴν χρείαν, τέχνην δ’ οὐ παρέδωκεν. καὶ
περὶ μὲν τῶν ῥητορικῶν ὑπῆρχε πολλὰ καὶ παλαιὰ τὰ
λεγόμενα, περὶ δὲ τοῦ συλλογίζεσθαι παντελῶς οὐδὲν εἴχο-184b
μεν πρότερον λέγειν ἢ τριβῇ ζητοῦντες πολὺν χρόνον
ἐπονοῦμεν. εἰ δὲ φαίνεται θεασαμένοις ὑμῖν, ὡς ἐκ
τοιούτων ἐξ ἀρχῆς ὑπαρχόντων, ἔχειν ἡ μέθοδος ἱκανῶς παρὰ
τὰς ἄλλας πραγματείας τὰς ἐκ παραδόσεως ηὐξημένας, 184b5
λοιπὸν ἂν εἴη πάντων ὑμῶν [ἢ] τῶν ἠκροαμένων ἔργον τοῖς
μὲν παραλελειμμένοις τῆς μεθόδου συγγνώμην τοῖς δ’ εὑ-
ρημένοις πολλὴν ἔχειν χάριν.
On Sophistical Refutations by Aristotle. Written 350 B.C.E.
Translated by Sir Arthur Wallace Pickard-Cambridge
Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1928
Part 34
As to the number, then, and kind of sources whence fallacies arise in discussion, and how we are to show that our opponent is committing a fallacy and make him utter paradoxes; moreover, by the use of what materials solescism is brought about, and how to question and what is the way to arrange the questions; moreover, as to the question what use is served by all arguments of this kind, and concerning the answerer’s part, both as a whole in general, and in particular how to solve arguments and solecisms-on all these things let the foregoing discussion suffice. It remains to recall our original proposal and to bring our discussion to a close with a few words upon it.
Our programme was, then, to discover some faculty of reasoning about any theme put before us from the most generally accepted premisses that there are. For that is the essential task of the art of discussion (dialectic) and of examination (peirastic). Inasmuch, however, as it is annexed to it, on account of the near presence of the art of sophistry (sophistic), not only to be able to conduct an examination dialectically but also with a show of knowledge, we therefore proposed for our treatise not only the aforesaid aim of being able to exact an account of any view, but also the aim of ensuring that in standing up to an argument we shall defend our thesis in the same manner by means of views as generally held as possible. The reason of this we have explained; for this, too, was why Socrates used to ask questions and not to answer them; for he used to confess that he did not know. We have made clear, in the course of what precedes, the number both of the points with reference to which, and of the materials from which, this will be accomplished, and also from what sources we can become well supplied with these: we have shown, moreover, how to question or arrange the questioning as a whole, and the problems concerning the answers and solutions to be used against the reasonings of the questioner. We have also cleared up the problems concerning all other matters that belong to the same inquiry into arguments. In addition to this we have been through the subject of Fallacies, as we have already stated above.
That our programme, then, has been adequately completed is clear. But we must not omit to notice what has happened in regard to this inquiry. For in the case of all discoveries the results of previous labours that have been handed down from others have been advanced bit by bit by those who have taken them on, whereas the original discoveries generally make advance that is small at first though much more useful than the development which later springs out of them. For it may be that in everything, as the saying is, ‘the first start is the main part’: and for this reason also it is the most difficult; for in proportion as it is most potent in its influence, so it is smallest in its compass and therefore most difficult to see: whereas when this is once discovered, it is easier to add and develop the remainder in connexion with it. This is in fact what has happened in regard to rhetorical speeches and to practically all the other arts: for those who discovered the beginnings of them advanced them in all only a little way, whereas the celebrities of to-day are the heirs (so to speak) of a long succession of men who have advanced them bit by bit, and so have developed them to their present form, Tisias coming next after the first founders, then Thrasymachus after Tisias, and Theodorus next to him, while several people have made their several contributions to it: and therefore it is not to be wondered at that the art has attained considerable dimensions. Of this inquiry, on the other hand, it was not the case that part of the work had been thoroughly done before, while part had not. Nothing existed at all. For the training given by the paid professors of contentious arguments was like the treatment of the matter by Gorgias. For they used to hand out speeches to be learned by heart, some rhetorical, others in the form of question and answer, each side supposing that their arguments on either side generally fall among them. And therefore the teaching they gave their pupils was ready but rough. For they used to suppose that they trained people by imparting to them not the art but its products, as though any one professing that he would impart a form of knowledge to obviate any pain in the feet, were then not to teach a man the art of shoe-making or the sources whence he can acquire anything of the kind, but were to present him with several kinds of shoes of all sorts: for he has helped him to meet his need, but has not imparted an art to him. Moreover, on the subject of Rhetoric there exists much that has been said long ago, whereas on the subject of reasoning we had nothing else of an earlier date to speak of at all, but were kept at work for a long time in experimental researches. If, then, it seems to you after inspection that, such being the situation as it existed at the start, our investigation is in a satisfactory condition compared with the other inquiries that have been developed by tradition, there must remain for all of you, or for our students, the task of extending us your pardon for the shortcomings of the inquiry, and for the discoveries thereof your warm thanks.