Aristotle - "The Categories" Inter-Linear Text

Ἀριστοτέλους Κατηγορίαι 1–15

Aristotle, Categories — complete Greek–English teaching interlinear
Hover (or tap-and-hold on a phone) any underlined Greek word for parsing: case, number, gender; or tense, mood, voice, person, number. Brick-red dotted words also open the glossary. Greek after Bekker; running English after E. M. Edghill (1928).
Expandable glossary — tap a term
οὐσία — substance / being

The first category. Primary substance (πρώτη οὐσία) is the individual: this man, this horse. Secondary substances (δεύτεραι οὐσίαι) are the species and genera in which individuals stand (man, animal). Not “stuff” in the modern sense.

ὑποκείμενον — subject / underlying thing

That of which something is said, or that in which something is present. Primary substances are the ultimate subjects.

ἐν ὑποκειμένῳ — present in a subject

Inhering in a subject, not as a part in a whole, and unable to exist separately. Accidents (a particular white, a particular grammar) are in a subject.

καθ’ ὑποκειμένου — said of a subject

Predicated of a subject as of something under it. “Man” is said of Socrates; “animal” is said of man.

λόγος — account / definition / statement

Here usually the defining account of the essence (λόγος τῆς οὐσίας). Later also “statement” as opposed to opinion (δόξα).

ὁμώνυμα — homonyms / equivocals

Same name, different defining account. A living man and a painted figure are both called ζῷον.

συνώνυμα — synonyms / univocals

Same name and the same defining account. A man and an ox are both ζῷον in one sense.

παρώνυμα — paronyms / derivatives

Named from something with a change of ending: γραμματικός from γραμματική, ἀνδρεῖος from ἀνδρεία.

εἶδος — species / form

The species under which an individual falls. More substance than the genus because nearer to the individual.

γένος — genus

The wider class containing species. Animal is the genus of man.

διαφορά — differentia

The distinguishing mark that divides a genus into species: two-footed, winged, aquatic.

ποσόν — quantity

How much. Discrete (number, speech) or continuous (line, surface, body, time, place). Distinctive mark: equal / unequal.

ποιόν / ποιότης — quality

Such-and-such-ness. Habits and dispositions, capacities, affective qualities, figure/shape. Distinctive mark: like / unlike.

πρός τι — relative

What it is is said of another, or somehow toward another: double, half, knowledge-of, slave-of.

κατηγορία — predication / category

Originally “accusation” or “predicate.” Here the ten highest kinds of what uncombined words signify.

ἐναντία — contraries

Opposites in the same genus that cannot belong together in the same respect: health/disease, white/black. Some have intermediates.

στέρησις / ἕξις — privation / possession

Blindness is privation of sight in that which ought by nature to have it, at the time it ought.

τόδε τι — a this

A determinate individual. Primary substance signifies a this; secondary substance rather a qualified substance.

συμπλοκή — combination / intertwining

Joining terms into a statement (“man runs”). Uncombined terms are neither true nor false.

ἄτομον — individual

What is one in number and not further split as a subject of species-predication: this man, this horse.

Chapter 1 — Homonyms, synonyms, paronyms

Bekker 1a1–15 · hover each Greek word

λέγεται ὧν ὄνομα μόνον κοινόνare those of which the name alone is common
δὲ κατὰ τοὔνομα λόγος τῆς οὐσίας ἕτεροςbut the account of essence answering to the name is different
οἷον ζῷον ὅ τε ἄνθρωπος καὶ τὸ γεγραμμένονe.g. animal: both the man and the painted figure

Things named equivocally have only the name in common; the definition differs. A living man and a picture are both called “animal.”

Note on ὁμώνυμα

Keep “homonym” for the Greek technical term. Edghill’s “equivocally named” is the English doctrine. The example is deliberate: the painted ζῷον shares a name, not a nature.

ἐὰν γάρ τις ἀποδιδῷ τί ἐστιν αὐτῶν ἑκατέρῳ τὸ ζῴῳ εἶναιfor if one gives what being-an-animal is for each
ἴδιον ἑκατέρου λόγον ἀποδώσειone will give an account proper to each
Συνώνυμα δὲ λέγεταιSynonyms are said to be
ὧν τό τε ὄνομα κοινὸν καὶ κατὰ τοὔνομα λόγος τῆς οὐσίας αὐτόςthose of which both the name is common and the account of essence the same
οἷον ζῷον ὅ τε ἄνθρωπος καὶ βοῦςe.g. animal: both the man and the ox

Univocals share name and definition. If you define what being-an-animal is for man and for ox, you give the same account.

Παρώνυμα δὲ λέγεταιParonyms are said to be
ὅσα ἀπό τινος διαφέροντα τῇ πτώσει τὴν κατὰ τοὔνομα προσηγορίαν ἔχειwhatever, differing by inflection, have their designation from the name
οἷον ἀπὸ τῆς γραμματικῆς γραμματικὸς καὶ ἀπὸ τῆς ἀνδρείας ἀνδρεῖοςe.g. the grammarian from grammar, the courageous man from courage

Chapter 2 — Combination; four classes of beings

Bekker 1a16–1b9

Τῶν λεγομένων τὰ μὲν κατὰ συμπλοκὴν λέγεταιOf things said, some are said in combination
τὰ δὲ ἄνευ συμπλοκῆςothers without combination
ἄνθρωπος τρέχει ἄνθρωπος νικᾷin combination: “man runs,” “man wins”
ἄνθρωπος βοῦς τρέχει νικᾷwithout: “man,” “ox,” “runs,” “wins”
Τῶν ὄντων τὰ μὲν καθ’ ὑποκειμένου τινὸς λέγεταιOf beings, some are said of a subject
ἐν ὑποκειμένῳ δὲ οὐδενί ἐστινbut are in no subject
οἷον ἄνθρωπος κατὰ τοῦ τινὸς ἀνθρώπουe.g. man, said of the individual man
Note on the fourfold division

(1) Said-of, not in: species and genera of substances.
(2) In, not said-of: individual accidents.
(3) Both said-of and in: universal accidents (knowledge said of grammar, in the soul).
(4) Neither: primary substances (this man, this horse). Individuals as such are never said-of a subject; some individuals (a particular grammar) can still be in a subject.

ἐν ὑποκειμένῳ λέγω ἐν τινὶ μὴ ὡς μέρος ὑπάρχονBy “in a subject” I mean what is in something not as a part
ἀδύνατον χωρὶς εἶναι τοῦ ἐν ἐστίνand cannot be apart from that in which it is
οἷον τὶς γραμματικὴ ἐν τῇ ψυχῇ τὸ τὶ λευκὸν ἐν τῷ σώματιe.g. a particular grammar in the soul; a particular white in the body
τὰ δὲ καὶ καθ’ ὑποκειμένου λέγεται καὶ ἐν ὑποκειμένῳ ἐστίνSome are both said of a subject and in a subject
ἐπιστήμη ἐν τῇ ψυχῇ κατὰ τῆς γραμματικῆς λέγεταιknowledge is in the soul and is said of grammar
τὰ δὲ οὔτε ἐν ὑποκειμένῳ οὔτε καθ’ ὑποκειμένουSome neither in a subject nor said of a subject
οἷον τὶς ἄνθρωπος τὶς ἵπποςe.g. the individual man or the individual horse
τὰ ἄτομα καὶ ἓν ἀριθμῷ καθ’ οὐδενὸς λέγεταιThings individual and one in number are said of nothing

Chapter 3 — Predication; differentiae

Bekker 1b10–24 · hover each Greek word

Ὅταν ἕτερον καθ’ ἑτέρου κατηγορῆται ὡς καθ’ ὑποκειμένουWhen one thing is predicated of another as of a subject
ὅσα κατὰ τοῦ κατηγορουμένου λέγεται πάντα καὶ κατὰ τοῦ ὑποκειμένου ῥηθήσεταιwhatever is said of the predicate will also be said of the subject
ἄνθρωπος κατὰ τοῦ τινὸς ἀνθρώπου ζῷον κατὰ τοῦ ἀνθρώπουman of the individual man, animal of man
οὐκοῦν καὶ κατὰ τοῦ τινὸς ἀνθρώπου τὸ ζῷονtherefore animal also of the individual man
Τῶν ἑτερογενῶν καὶ μὴ ὑπ’ ἄλληλα τεταγμένων ἕτεραι τῷ εἴδει καὶ αἱ διαφοραίOf different genera not ranked under one another the differentiae too differ in kind
οἷον ζῴου καὶ ἐπιστήμηςe.g. of animal and of knowledge
τῶν δέ γε ὑπ’ ἄλληλα γενῶν οὐδὲν κωλύει τὰς αὐτὰς εἶναι διαφοράςBut of genera under one another nothing prevents the same differentiae

Chapter 4 — The ten categories

Bekker 1b25–2a10 · hover each Greek word

Τῶν κατὰ μηδεμίαν συμπλοκὴν λεγομένων ἕκαστονOf things said with no combination, each
ἤτοι οὐσίαν σημαίνειsignifies either substance
ποσὸν ποιὸν πρός τιor quantity or quality or relative
ποῦ ποτὲ κεῖσθαι ἔχειν ποιεῖν πάσχεινor where or when or being-situated or having or doing or being-affected
The ten κατηγορίαι

1 οὐσία substance · 2 ποσόν quantity · 3 ποιόν quality · 4 πρός τι relative · 5 ποῦ where · 6 ποτέ when · 7 κεῖσθαι position · 8 ἔχειν having/state · 9 ποιεῖν action · 10 πάσχειν affection. Uncombined, none is yet true or false.

οὐσία ἄνθρωπος ἵππος ποσόν δίπηχυ τρίπηχυsubstance: man, horse; quantity: two-cubits, three-cubits
ποιόν λευκόν γραμματικόν πρός τι διπλάσιον ἥμισυ μεῖζονquality: white, grammatical; relative: double, half, greater
ποῦ ἐν Λυκείῳ ἐν ἀγορᾷ ποτέ χθές πέρυσινwhere: in the Lyceum, in the market; when: yesterday, last year
κεῖσθαι ἀνάκειται κάθηται ἔχειν ὑποδέδεται ὥπλισταιposition: lies, sits; having: is-shod, is-armed
ποιεῖν τέμνειν καίειν πάσχειν τέμνεσθαι καίεσθαιdoing: to cut, to burn; being-affected: to be cut, to be burned

Chapter 5 — Substance

Bekker 2a11–4b19 · hover each Greek word

Οὐσία κυριώτατά τε καὶ πρώτως καὶ μάλιστα λεγομένηSubstance said most strictly and primarily and most of all
μήτε καθ’ ὑποκειμένου λέγεται μήτε ἐν ὑποκειμένῳ ἐστίνis neither said of a subject nor in a subject
οἷον τὶς ἄνθρωπος τὶς ἵπποςe.g. the individual man or horse

Primary substance is the individual. Secondary substances are the species and genera in which individuals exist: man, animal.

δεύτεραι δὲ οὐσίαι τὰ εἴδη ἐν οἷς αἱ πρῶται ὑπάρχουσινSecondary substances: the species in which primaries exist
καὶ τὰ τῶν εἰδῶν γένη ἄνθρωπος καὶ ζῷονand the genera of those species: man and animal
τῶν καθ’ ὑποκειμένου καὶ τοὔνομα καὶ λόγος κατηγορεῖται τοῦ ὑποκειμένουOf things said of a subject both name and definition are predicated of the subject
τῶν δ’ ἐν ὑποκειμένῳ τὸν μὲν λόγον ἀδύνατον τοὔνομα ἐνίοτε οὔOf things in a subject the definition cannot be predicated; the name sometimes can
λευκὸν σῶμα λέγεται δὲ τοῦ λευκοῦ λόγος κατὰ τοῦ σώματος οὔA body is called white; the definition of white is not said of the body
τὰ ἄλλα πάντα ἤτοι καθ’ ὑποκειμένων τῶν πρώτων οὐσιῶν λέγεται ἐν αὐταῖς ἐστίνEverything else is either said of primary substances or present in them
μὴ οὐσῶν τῶν πρώτων ἀδύνατον τῶν ἄλλων τι εἶναιIf primaries did not exist, nothing else could be
Why primaries are first

Remove Socrates and every individual man, and “man” and “animal” have nothing to be said of. Remove individual bodies, and color has nowhere to be. The ontological order of the treatise runs from this man upward.

τῶν δευτέρων μᾶλλον οὐσία τὸ εἶδος τοῦ γένους ἔγγιον τῆς πρώτηςOf secondaries the species is more substance than the genus: nearer the primary
γνωριμώτερον τὸν ἄνθρωπον ἀποδοῦναι τὸ ζῷονIt is more informative to give “man” than “animal.”
ὡς αἱ πρῶται πρὸς τὰ ἄλλα οὕτω τὸ εἶδος πρὸς τὸ γένοςAs primaries stand to the rest, so species stands to genus
αὐτῶν δὲ τῶν εἰδῶν ὅσα μή ἐστι γένη οὐδὲν μᾶλλον ἕτερον ἑτέρου οὐσίαOf species that are not genera, none is more substance than another
οὐδὲ τῶν πρώτων τὶς ἄνθρωπος μᾶλλον οὐσία τὶς βοῦςNor among primaries is this man more substance than this ox
μόνα εἴδη καὶ γένη δεύτεραι οὐσίαι μόνα δηλοῖ τὴν πρώτηνOnly species and genera are secondary substances: they alone make the primary clear
κοινὸν κατὰ πάσης οὐσίας τὸ μὴ ἐν ὑποκειμένῳ εἶναιCommon to every substance: not to be in a subject
οὐκ ἴδιον καὶ διαφορὰ οὐκ ἐν ὑποκειμένῳNot peculiar: differentia also is not in a subject
τὰ μέρη τῶν οὐσιῶν οὐ διὰ τοῦτο οὐκ οὐσίαι οὐ γὰρ ὡς μέρη ἐλέγετο τὸ ἐν ὑποκειμένῳParts of substances are not thereby non-substances: “in a subject” excluded being-as-a-part
ὑπάρχει ταῖς οὐσίαις καὶ ταῖς διαφοραῖς τὸ συνωνύμως ἀπ’ αὐτῶν λέγεσθαιFrom substances and differentiae things are said synonymously
πᾶσα οὐσία δοκεῖ τόδε τι σημαίνεινEvery substance seems to signify a this
ἐπὶ τῶν πρώτων ἀληθές ἐπὶ τῶν δευτέρων μᾶλλον ποιόν τι περὶ οὐσίανTrue of primaries; of secondaries rather a qualified something about a substance
μηδὲν ἐναντίον τῇ οὐσίᾳ οὐκ ἴδιον καὶ ἐπὶ ποσοῦNo contrary to substance — not peculiar, quantity also has none
οὐκ ἐπιδέχεται τὸ μᾶλλον καὶ ἧττον καθ’ ἑαυτήνIt does not admit more and less in itself
ἄνθρωπος οὐ μᾶλλον ἄνθρωπος νῦν πρότερονA man is not more a man now than before
μάλιστα ἴδιον τὸ ταὐτὸν καὶ ἓν ἀριθμῷ ὂν τῶν ἐναντίων εἶναι δεκτικόνMost distinctive: remaining one in number, it receives contraries
τὶς ἄνθρωπος ὁτὲ μὲν λευκὸς ὁτὲ δὲ μέλας θερμὸς καὶ ψυχρός φαῦλος καὶ σπουδαῖοςThis man is at one time white, at another black; hot and cold; bad and good
λόγος καὶ δόξα δοκοῦσιν ἀλλ’ οὐ τῷ αὐτὰ δέχεσθαι ἀλλὰ τῷ τὸ πρᾶγμα κινηθῆναιStatement and opinion seem to, but not by themselves receiving; the thing changes
The ἴδιον of substance

Color cannot be white and black while remaining that one color. Socrates can. If someone objects that “he is sitting” becomes false when he stands, Aristotle answers: the statement did not itself take on a contrary; the man changed.

Chapter 6 — Quantity

Bekker 4b20–6a35 · hover each Greek word

Τοῦ δὲ ποσοῦ τὸ μέν ἐστι διωρισμένον τὸ δὲ συνεχέςOf quantity one is discrete, the other continuous
τὸ μὲν ἐκ θέσιν ἐχόντων πρὸς ἄλληλα τῶν μορίων τὸ δὲ οὔsome from parts that have position toward one another, some not
διωρισμένον ἀριθμὸς καὶ λόγος συνεχές γραμμή ἐπιφάνεια σῶμα ἔτι χρόνος καὶ τόποςDiscrete: number and speech. Continuous: line, surface, body, also time and place

The parts of a number have no common boundary at which they join. Two fives make ten, but they do not meet at a limit. Speech, taken as spoken utterance, is measured by long and short syllables, each separate. A line’s parts meet at a point; a plane’s at a line; a body’s at a line or plane. Time is continuous by the now; place by the common limits of the body’s parts.

Discrete vs continuous

διωρισμένον = marked-off, discrete. συνεχές = holding-together, continuous. “Speech” (λόγος) here is spoken utterance, not the defining account of ch. 1.

ἴδιον δὲ τοῦ ποσοῦ τὸ ἴσον τε καὶ ἄνισον λέγεσθαιDistinctive of quantity: to be called equal and unequal
τὸ δὲ μὴ ποσὸν οὐ πάνυ ἴσον καὶ ἄνισον ἀλλὰ μᾶλλον ὅμοιονWhat is not a quantity is not called equal and unequal, but rather like

Chapter 7 — Relatives

Bekker 6a36–8b24 · hover each Greek word

Πρός τι τὰ τοιαῦτα λέγεταιRelatives are said to be such things
ὅσα αὐτὰ ἅπερ ἐστὶν ἑτέρων εἶναι λέγεταιas are what they are said to be of other things
ὁπωσοῦν ἄλλως πρὸς ἕτερονor are otherwise somehow toward another
οἷον τὸ μεῖζον ὅπερ ἐστὶν ἑτέρου λέγεται καὶ τὸ διπλάσιον ἑτέρουe.g. the greater is what it is of another, and the double of another

Also relatives: habit, disposition, perception, knowledge, position. A habit is a habit of something; knowledge is knowledge of something. “Large” of a mountain is large toward another. Like is like to something. Lying, standing, sitting are particular positions; position itself is a relative. The verbs are named paronymously from the positions.

ἔστι δὲ καὶ ἐναντιότης ἐν τοῖς πρός τι οὐ πᾶσιν ἀρετὴ κακίᾳ ἐπιστήμη ἀγνοίᾳ διπλασίῳ οὔThere is also contrariety among relatives, not in all: virtue/vice, knowledge/ignorance; not in double
καὶ τὸ μᾶλλον καὶ ἧττον ἐπ’ ἐνίων οὐκ ἐπὶ τοῦ διπλασίουAnd more and less in some, not in the double
πάντα τὰ πρός τι πρὸς ἀντιστρέφοντα λέγεταιAll relatives are said toward correlatives
δοῦλος δεσπότου δεσπότης δούλου διπλάσιον ἡμίσεος ἥμισυ διπλασίουSlave of a master, master of a slave; double of a half, half of a double
Accurate correlatives

If you relate wing to bird, reciprocity fails (many winged things are not birds). Relate wing to the winged, rudder to the ruddered, head to the headed. Coin a name if needed. Strip away “biped,” “human,” and leave only “master”: the slave-relation remains. Leave only “man,” and it vanishes.

δοκεῖ ἅμα τῇ φύσει τὰ πρός τι εἶναι ὡς ἐπὶ τὸ πολὺ ἀληθέςRelatives seem simultaneous by nature; for the most part true
οὐκ ἐπὶ πάντων τὸ ἐπιστητὸν πρότερον δόξειεν τῆς ἐπιστήμης καὶ τὸ αἰσθητὸν τῆς αἰσθήσεωςNot in all: the knowable seems prior to knowledge, the perceptible to perception

A remaining ἀπορία: is any substance a relative? Not primary substances or their parts. Some secondary substances (head, hand) look relative if badly defined. Defined as headed / handed, the appearance lessens. If the definition of relatives was adequate, it would be true that no substance is a relative. If not, the definition must be tightened.

Chapter 8 — Quality

Bekker 8b25–11a38 · hover each Greek word

Ποιότητα λέγω καθ’ ἣν ποιοί τινες λέγονταιBy quality I mean that in virtue of which things are said to be such-and-such
ἓν μὲν εἶδος ἕξις καὶ διάθεσιςOne kind: habit and disposition
ἕξις μονιμώτερον καὶ πολυχρονιώτερον ἐπιστῆμαι καὶ ἀρεταίHabit is more stable and lasting: the sciences and the virtues
διάθεσις εὐκίνητον θερμότης κατάψυξις νόσος ὑγίειαDisposition is easily moved: heat, chill, disease, health
Four kinds of quality

1. ἕξις / διάθεσις — habit and disposition.
2. δύναμις φυσική — natural capacity or incapacity (boxer, runner; healthy, sickly).
3. παθητικαὶ ποιότητες καὶ πάθη — affective qualities and affections (sweetness, heat; also colors; a blush as fleeting πάθος vs pallor as quality).
4. σχῆμα καὶ μορφή — figure and shape (straight, curved, triangular).

δεύτερον τὸ δύναμιν ἀδυναμίαν φυσικὴν ἔχεινSecond: having a natural capacity or incapacity
τρίτον παθητικαὶ ποιότητες καὶ πάθηThird: affective qualities and affections
τέταρτον σχῆμα καὶ περὶ ἕκαστον μορφή εὐθύτης καμπυλότηςFourth: figure and the shape about each thing, straightness, curvedness
ποιοὶ παρωνύμως ἀπὸ τῶν ποιότητων λέγονται ὡς ἐπὶ τὸ πολύThings are called such-and-such mostly paronymously from the qualities

There is contrariety in quality (white/black, justice/injustice), not in all (yellow, red). Qualities admit more and less, though not all figures do. Distinctive mark: like and unlike are said in respect of quality.

Chapter 9 — Doing and being-affected

Bekker 11b1–16 · hover each Greek word

Καὶ τὸ ποιεῖν δὲ καὶ τὸ πάσχειν ἐπιδέχεται ἐναντιότητα καὶ τὸ μᾶλλον καὶ τὸ ἧττονDoing and being-affected admit contrariety and the more and the less
θερμαίνειν ψύχειν θερμαίνεσθαι ψύχεσθαι καὶ μᾶλλον θερμαίνειν καὶ ἧττονTo heat / to cool; to be heated / to be cooled; and more and less heating
ὑπὲρ δὲ τοῦ ποτὲ καὶ τοῦ ποῦ καὶ τοῦ ἔχειν οὐδὲν ἄλλο λέγεται ὅσα ἐν ἀρχῇAbout when, where, and having, nothing further is said beyond what was said at the start

The treatise treats action and affection briefly and then leaves place, time, and having as already sketched by examples (yesterday; in the Lyceum; being shod).

Chapter 10 — Opposites

Bekker 11b17–13b36 · hover each Greek word

Ὑπὲρ μὲν οὖν τῶν προτεθέντων γενῶν ἱκανάEnough, then, about the proposed genera
περὶ δὲ τῶν ἀντικειμένων ποσαχῶς εἴωθεν ἀντικεῖσθαι ῥητέονAbout opposites, in how many ways they are accustomed to be opposed, we must speak
τετραχῶς ὡς τὰ πρός τι ὡς τὰ ἐναντία ὡς στέρησις καὶ ἕξις ὡς κατάφασις καὶ ἀπόφασιςIn four ways: as relatives, as contraries, as privation and possession, as affirmation and negation

Outline: double / half (relatives); bad / good (contraries); blindness / sight (privation / possession); “he sits” / “he does not sit” (affirmation / negation).

Four oppositions

Relatives are explained by “of” or toward one another. Contraries are not said “of” one another. Privatives belong to the same natural subject (the eye) and at the time nature requires the possession — a newborn without teeth is not “toothless” in the privative sense. Affirmation and negation are propositions; the underlying facts (sitting / not sitting) are opposed in the same type of antithesis, but are not themselves propositions.

τὰ ἐναντία ὧν μηδέν ἐστιν ἀνὰ μέσον ἀναγκαῖον θάτερον ὑπάρχειν τῷ δεκτικῷ νόσος ὑγίεια περιττὸν ἄρτιονContraries with no intermediate: one must belong to the receptive subject — disease/health, odd/even
ὧν ἔστι τι ἀνὰ μέσον οὐκ ἀνάγκη λευκὸν μέλαν ἀγαθὸν κακόνThose with an intermediate: no such necessity — white/black, good/bad
ἐνίων ὠνόμασται τὸ ἀνὰ μέσον ἐνίων ὡς τὸ μηδέτερον ἀφορίζεταιSome intermediates have names; some are marked off as neither extreme

Chapter 11 — Contraries

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Ἐναντίον ἐστὶν ἀγαθῷ μὲν ἐξ ἀνάγκης κακόνContrary to good is of necessity bad
κακῷ δὲ ὁτὲ μὲν ἀγαθὸν ὁτὲ δὲ κακόνbut to bad sometimes good and sometimes bad
τῇ γὰρ ἐνδείᾳ κακῷ ὄντι ὑπερβολὴ ἐναντίον κακὸν καὶ αὐτήfor to deficiency, which is a bad, excess is contrary, itself also a bad
ἐν ὑποκειμένῳ δὲ τῷ αὐτῷ εἴδει γένει τὰ ἐναντίαContraries are in the same subject, either in species or in genus
πάντα δὲ τὰ ἐναντία ἐν τῷ αὐτῷ γένει ἐν ἐναντίοις γένεσιν αὐτὰ γένη ἐστίνAll contraries are either in the same genus, or in contrary genera, or are themselves genera

White and black are in color; justice and injustice in virtue and vice as contrary genera; good and bad are themselves genera of others.

Chapter 12 — Prior

Bekker 14a26–14b23 · hover each Greek word

Πρότερον ἕτερον ἑτέρου λέγεται τετραχῶςOne thing is said to be prior to another in four ways
πρῶτον κατὰ χρόνονFirst, in time
δεύτερον τὸ μὴ ἀντιστρέφον κατὰ τὴν τοῦ εἶναι ἀκολούθησιν τὸ ἓν τῶν δύο πρότερονSecond: what does not convert in implication of being — one is prior to two
τρίτον κατὰ τάξιν ἐπιστήμη τὰ στοιχεῖα πρότερα τῶν διαγραμμάτωνThird, in order: in a science the elements are prior to the diagrams
τέταρτον τὸ βέλτιον καὶ τιμιώτερονFourth: the better and more honorable
δόξειε δὲ κἂν ἄλλος εἶναι τρόπος τῶν ἀντιστρεφόντων τὸ αἴτιον τοῦ εἶναι πρότερον τῇ φύσειThere would seem to be yet another mode: of converting things, the cause of being is prior by nature

Example of the fifth mode: that there is a man converts with the true statement “there is a man,” but the man is cause of the statement’s being true, not the reverse.

Chapter 13 — Simultaneous

Bekker 14b24–15a12 · hover each Greek word

Ἅμα λέγεται ἁπλῶς καὶ κυριώτατα ὧν γένεσις ἐν τῷ αὐτῷ χρόνῳThings are called simultaneous simply and most strictly whose coming-to-be is in the same time
ἅμα δὲ κατὰ φύσιν ὅσα ἀντιστρέφει μὲν κατὰ τὴν τοῦ εἶναι ἀκολούθησιν μηδαμῶς δὲ αἴτιον τὸ ἕτερον τῷ ἑτέρῳ τοῦ εἶναιSimultaneous by nature: whatever convert in implication of being, neither being cause of the other’s being
οἷον ἐπὶ τῶν διπλασίου καὶ ἡμίσεοςe.g. double and half
καὶ τὰ ἐκ τοῦ αὐτοῦ γένους ἀντιδιῃρημένα ἄλληλα ἅμα τῇ φύσειAlso the things divided off against one another from the same genus are simultaneous by nature
πτηνὸν πεζὸν ἔνυδρον ἐκ τοῦ ζῴου ἀντιδιῄρηταιWinged, footed, aquatic: divided off from animal
τὰ δὲ γένη τῶν εἰδῶν πρότεραBut genera are prior to species

Chapter 14 — Motion

Bekker 15a13–15b16 · hover each Greek word

Κινήσεως δέ ἐστιν εἴδη ἕξThere are six kinds of motion
γένεσις φθορά αὔξησις μείωσις ἀλλοίωσις κατὰ τόπον μεταβολήgeneration, destruction, increase, diminution, alteration, change according to place
αἱ μὲν ἄλλαι φανεραὶ ὅτι ἕτεραι ἀλλήλωνThe others are plainly different from one another
ἀλλοίωσις ἀπορήσειεν ἄν τις μὴ τὴν αὐτήν τινι τῶν ἄλλων εἶναιSomeone might raise the difficulty that alteration is not other than one of the rest
σχεδὸν γὰρ περὶ πάντα τὰ πάθη ἀλλοιοῦσθαι συμβέβηκενFor it happens that things are altered in respect of nearly all affections
ἕτερον δέ ὑγιαζόμενον κινούμενον κατὰ τόπον οὐκ ἀνάγκη ἀλλοιοῦσθαιBut it is other: what is being healed or moved in place need not be altered

Rest is contrary to motion in general; particular rests to particular motions. Change to a contrary may be called motion toward that contrary.

Chapter 15 — Having

Bekker 15b17–32 · hover each Greek word

Τὸ ἔχειν κατὰ πλείονας τρόπους λέγεταιHaving is said in several ways
γὰρ ὡς ἕξιν καὶ διάθεσιν ἄλλην τινὰ ποιότητα ἀρετὴν ἔχειν καὶ ἐπιστήμηνEither as habit and disposition or some other quality: to have virtue and knowledge
ὡς ποσόν οἷον τὸ μέγεθος ἔχει τὸ ἀποδεδομένονOr as quantity, e.g. that which has the size given
ὡς ἀμφὶ τὸ σῶμα ἱμάτιον χιτῶναOr as what is about the body: a cloak or tunic
ὡς ἐν μέρει δακτύλιον ἐν χειρίOr as in a part: a ring on a hand
ὡς μέρος χεῖρα πόδαOr as a part: a hand or foot
ὡς ἐν ἀγγείῳ τὸν σῖτον ἐν τῷ μέδιμνῳ τὸν οἶνον ἐν τῷ κεραμίῳOr as in a vessel: grain in the measure, wine in the jar
ὡς κτῆμα οἰκίαν ἔχομεν καὶ ἀγρόνOr as a possession: we have a house and a field
καὶ γυναῖκα ἔχειν λέγομεν ἀλλ’ ἀλλοτριώτατος νῦν ῥηθεὶς τρόποςWe also say one has a wife, but that mode just mentioned is most alien

The last chapter is a short lexicon of ἔχειν, matching the eighth category’s examples (being shod, being armed) and widening them. The treatise ends without a formal peroration.

Texts. Greek after Bekker’s Categoriae (public domain). Running sense after E. M. Edghill in W. D. Ross (ed.), The Works of Aristotle (Oxford, 1928), public domain in the United States.

Scope. All fifteen chapters of the Categories are here. Chapters 5, 7, 8, and 10 are the longest; some internal repetitions and minor examples are folded into the sense-lines so the page remains usable on a phone. For a line-by-line critical text use Minio-Paluello (OCT) or a Loeb facing page.

How to read. Hover any underlined Greek word for case/number/gender or tense/mood/voice. Brick-red dotted words also open the glossary. Italic lines give the running English. “Note” triangles open teaching footnotes.

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