Melissus of Samos Quotes on Knowledge
Melissus of Samos (5th century BCE), the third member of the Eleatic school after Parmenides and Zeno and the first to set out its doctrines in prose, is preserved chiefly through the long quotations in Simplicius's commentary on Aristotle's Physics. The fragments develop the Eleatic argument that genuine being must be one, eternal, infinite, unmoved, and indivisible, with the consequent conclusion that the manifold and motion the senses report cannot be features of what genuinely is. The framework supplies one of the earliest extant statements of the case for the priority of rational argument over sensory testimony in metaphysical inquiry, and Melissus's prose presentation made the Eleatic position more accessible to the later doxographic and philosophical tradition than Parmenides's hexameter original.
Quotes
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Attributed to Melissus of Samos:
“If there were many things, each would have to be such as I say the one is.”
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“Καὶ Μέλισσος δὲ τὸ ἀγένητον τοῦ ὄντος ἔδειξε τῶι κοινῶι τούτωι χρησάμενος ἀξιώματι· γράφει δὲ οὕτως· ᾿ἀεὶ ἦν ὅ τι ἦν καὶ ἀεὶ ἔσται. Εἰ γὰρ ἐγένετο, ἀναγκαῖόν ἐστι πρὶν γενέσθαι εἶναι μηδέν· εἰ τοίνυν μηδὲν ἦν, οὐδαμὰ ἂν γένοιτο οὐδὲν ἐκ μηδενός᾿.”
What was was ever, and ever shall be. For, if it had come into being , it needs must have been nothing before it came into being. Now, if it were nothing, in no wise could anything have arisen out of nothing. -
“What was was ever, and ever shall be. For, if it had come into being , it needs must have been nothing before it came into being. Now, if it were nothing, in no wise could anything have arisen out of nothing.”
Καὶ Μέλισσος δὲ τὸ ἀγένητον τοῦ ὄντος ἔδειξε τῶι κοινῶι τούτωι χρησάμενος ἀξιώματι· γράφει δὲ οὕτως· ᾿ἀεὶ ἦν ὅ τι ἦν καὶ ἀεὶ ἔσται. Εἰ γὰρ ἐγένετο, ἀναγκαῖόν ἐστι πρὶν γενέσθαι εἶναι μηδέν· εἰ τοίνυν μηδὲν ἦν, οὐδαμὰ ἂν γένοιτο οὐδὲν ἐκ μηδενός᾿. -
“Οὕτως οὖν ἀίδιόν ἐστι καὶ ἄπειρον καὶ ἓν καὶ ὅμοιον πᾶν.”
So then it is eternal and infinite and one and all alike. -
“Οὐδ᾿ ἂν τὸ ὑγιὲς ἀλγῆσαι δύναιτο· ἀπὸ γὰρ ἂν ὄλοιτο τὸ ὑγιὲς καὶ τὸ ἐόν, τὸ δὲ οὐκ ἐὸν γένοιτο. Καὶ περὶ τοῦ ἀνιᾶσθαι ὡυτὸς λόγος τῶι ἀλγέοντι. Οὐδὲ κενεόν ἐστιν οὐδέν· τὸ γὰρ κενεὸν οὐδέν ἐστιν· οὐκ ἂν οὖν εἴη τό γε μηδέν. Οὐδὲ κινεῖται· ὑποχωρῆσαι γὰρ οὐκ ἔχει οὐδαμῆι, ἀλλὰ πλέων ἐστίν. Εἰ μὲν γὰρ κενεὸν ἦν, ὑπεχώρει ἂν εἰς τὸ κενόν· κενοῦ δὲ μὴ ἐόντος οὐκ ἔχει ὅκηι ὑποχωρήσει.”
Nor is anything empty : For what is empty is nothing . What is nothing cannot be. Nor does it move ; for it has nowhere to betake itself to, but is full . For if there were aught empty, it would betake itself to the empty. But, since there is naught empty, it has nowhere to betake itself to. -
“Nor is anything empty : For what is empty is nothing . What is nothing cannot be. Nor does it move ; for it has nowhere to betake itself to, but is full . For if there were aught empty, it would betake itself to the empty. But, since there is naught empty, it has nowhere to betake itself to.”
Οὐδ᾿ ἂν τὸ ὑγιὲς ἀλγῆσαι δύναιτο· ἀπὸ γὰρ ἂν ὄλοιτο τὸ ὑγιὲς καὶ τὸ ἐόν, τὸ δὲ οὐκ ἐὸν γένοιτο. Καὶ περὶ τοῦ ἀνιᾶσθαι ὡυτὸς λόγος τῶι ἀλγέοντι. Οὐδὲ κενεόν ἐστιν οὐδέν· τὸ γὰρ κενεὸν οὐδέν ἐστιν· οὐκ ἂν οὖν εἴη τό γε μηδέν. Οὐδὲ κινεῖται· ὑποχωρῆσαι γὰρ οὐκ ἔχει οὐδαμῆι, ἀλλὰ πλέων ἐστίν. Εἰ μὲν γὰρ κενεὸν ἦν, ὑπεχώρει ἂν εἰς τὸ κενόν· κενοῦ δὲ μὴ ἐόντος οὐκ ἔχει ὅκηι ὑποχωρήσει. -
“Τοῦ γὰρ ἐόντος ἀληθινοῦ κρεῖσσον οὐδέν.”
…nothing is stronger than true reality .