Reflections

Primary Sources

Wednesday, August 18, 2021

Wisdom from the Early Stoics, Zeno of Citium 36


Division of a genus means dissection of it into its proximate species, thus: Animals are either rational or irrational (dichotomy). 

Contrary division dissects the genus into species by contrary qualities: for example, by means of negation, as when all things that are, are divided into good and not good. 

Subdivision is division applied to a previous division: for instance, after saying, "Of things that are, some are good, some are not good," we proceed, "and of the not good, some are bad, some are neither good nor bad (morally indifferent)."

Partition in logic is (according to Crinis) classification or distribution of a genus under heads: for instance, Of goods some are mental, others bodily.

—Diogenes Laërtius, 7.61-62





No comments:

Post a Comment