Parmenides..........................................................................................................................................................1

Plato.........................................................................................................................................................1

INTRODUCTION AND ANALYSIS. ....................................................................................................1

PARMENIDES ......................................................................................................................................21

The awe with which Plato regarded the character of 'the great' Parmenides has extended to the dialogue which

he calls by his name. None of the writings of Plato have been more copiously illustrated, both in ancient and

modern times, and in none of them have the interpreters been more at variance with one another. Nor is this

surprising. For the Parmenides is more fragmentary and isolated than any other dialogue, and the design of

the writer is not expressly stated. The date is uncertain; the relation to the other writings of Plato is also

uncertain; the connexion between the two parts is at first sight extremely obscure; and in the latter of the two

we are left in doubt as to whether Plato is speaking his own sentiments by the lips of Parmenides, and

overthrowing him out of his own mouth, or whether he is propounding consequences which would have been

admitted by Zeno and Parmenides themselves. The contradictions which follow from the hypotheses of the

one and many have been regarded by some as transcendental mysteries; by others as a mere illustration, taken

at random, of a new method. They seem to have been inspired by a sort of dialectical frenzy, such as may be

supposed to have prevailed in the Megarian School (compare Cratylus, etc.). The criticism on his own

doctrine of Ideas has also been considered, not as a real criticism, but as an exuberance of the metaphysical

imagination which enabled Plato to go beyond himself. To the latter part of the dialogue we may certainly

apply the words in which he himself describes the earlier philosophers in the Sophist: 'They went on their

The Parmenides in point of style is one of the best of the Platonic writings; the first portion of the dialogue is

in no way defective in ease and grace and dramatic interest; nor in the second part, where there was no room

for such qualities, is there any want of clearness or precision. The latter half is an exquisite mosaic, of which

the small pieces are with the utmost fineness and regularity adapted to one another. Like the Protagoras,

Phaedo, and others, the whole is a narrated dialogue, combining with the mere recital of the words spoken,

the observations of the reciter on the effect produced by them. Thus we are informed by him that Zeno and

Parmenides were not altogether pleased at the request of Socrates that they would examine into the nature of

the one and many in the sphere of Ideas, although they received his suggestion with approving smiles. And

we are glad to be told that Parmenides was 'aged but wellfavoured,' and that Zeno was 'very goodlooking';

also that Parmenides affected to decline the great argument, on which, as Zeno knew from experience, he was

not unwilling to enter. The character of Antiphon, the halfbrother of Plato, who had once been inclined to

philosophy, but has now shown the hereditary disposition for horses, is very naturally described. He is the

sole depositary of the famous dialogue; but, although he receives the strangers like a courteous gentleman, he

is impatient of the trouble of reciting it. As they enter, he has been giving orders to a bridlemaker; by this

slight touch Plato verifies the previous description of him. After a little persuasion he is induced to favour the

Clazomenians, who come from a distance, with a rehearsal. Respecting the visit of Zeno and Parmenides to

Athens, we may observefirst, that such a visit is consistent with dates, and may possibly have occurred;

secondly, that Plato is very likely to have invented the meeting ('You, Socrates, can easily invent Egyptian

tales or anything else,' Phaedrus); thirdly, that no reliance can be placed on the circumstance as determining

the date of Parmenides and Zeno; fourthly, that the same occasion appears to be referred to by Plato in two

Many interpreters have regarded the Parmenides as a 'reductio ad absurdum' of the Eleatic philosophy. But

would Plato have been likely to place this in the mouth of the great Parmenides himself, who appeared to

him, in Homeric language, to be 'venerable and awful,' and to have a 'glorious depth of mind'? (Theaet.). It

may be admitted that he has ascribed to an Eleatic stranger in the Sophist opinions which went beyond the

doctrines of the Eleatics. But the Eleatic stranger expressly criticises the doctrines in which he had been

brought up; he admits that he is going to 'lay hands on his father Parmenides.' Nothing of this kind is said of

Zeno and Parmenides. How then, without a word of explanation, could Plato assign to them the refutation of

The conclusion at which we must arrive is that the Parmenides is not a refutation of the Eleatic philosophy.

Nor would such an explanation afford any satisfactory connexion of the first and second parts of the dialogue.

And it is quite inconsistent with Plato's own relation to the Eleatics. For of all the preSocratic philosophers,

he speaks of them with the greatest respect. But he could hardly have passed upon them a more unmeaning

slight than to ascribe to their great master tenets the reverse of those which he actually held.

Two preliminary remarks may be made. First, that whatever latitude we may allow to Plato in bringing

together by a 'tour de force,' as in the Phaedrus, dissimilar themes, yet he always in some way seeks to find a

connexion for them. Many threads join together in one the love and dialectic of the Phaedrus. We cannot

conceive that the great artist would place in juxtaposition two absolutely divided and incoherent subjects.

And hence we are led to make a second remark: viz. that no explanation of the Parmenides can be satisfactory

which does not indicate the connexion of the first and second parts. To suppose that Plato would first go out

of his way to make Parmenides attack the Platonic Ideas, and then proceed to a similar but more fatal assault

Perhaps there is no passage in Plato showing greater metaphysical power than that in which he assails his

own theory of Ideas. The arguments are nearly, if not quite, those of Aristotle; they are the objections which

naturally occur to a modern student of philosophy. Many persons will be surprised to find Plato criticizing the

very conceptions which have been supposed in after ages to be peculiarly characteristic of him. How can he

have placed himself so completely without them? How can he have ever persisted in them after seeing the

fatal objections which might be urged against them? The consideration of this difficulty has led a recent critic

(Ueberweg), who in general accepts the authorised canon of the Platonic writings, to condemn the

Parmenides as spurious. The accidental want of external evidence, at first sight, seems to favour this opinion.

In answer, it might be sufficient to say, that no ancient writing of equal length and excellence is known to be

spurious. Nor is the silence of Aristotle to be hastily assumed; there is at least a doubt whether his use of the

same arguments does not involve the inference that he knew the work. And, if the Parmenides is spurious,

like Ueberweg, we are led on further than we originally intended, to pass a similar condemnation on the

Theaetetus and Sophist, and therefore on the Politicus (compare Theaet., Soph.). But the objection is in

reality fanciful, and rests on the assumption that the doctrine of the Ideas was held by Plato throughout his

life in the same form. For the truth is, that the Platonic Ideas were in constant process of growth and

transmutation; sometimes veiled in poetry and mythology, then again emerging as fixed Ideas, in some

passages regarded as absolute and eternal, and in others as relative to the human mind, existing in and derived

from external objects as well as transcending them. The anamnesis of the Ideas is chiefly insisted upon in the

mythical portions of the dialogues, and really occupies a very small space in the entire works of Plato. Their

transcendental existence is not asserted, and is therefore implicitly denied in the Philebus; different forms are

ascribed to them in the Republic, and they are mentioned in the Theaetetus, the Sophist, the Politicus, and the

Laws, much as Universals would be spoken of in modern books. Indeed, there are very faint traces of the

transcendental doctrine of Ideas, that is, of their existence apart from the mind, in any of Plato's writings, with

the exception of the Meno, the Phaedrus, the Phaedo, and in portions of the Republic. The stereotyped form

which Aristotle has given to them is not found in Plato (compare Essay on the Platonic Ideas in the

The full discussion of this subject involves a comprehensive survey of the philosophy of Plato, which would

be out of place here. But, without digressing further from the immediate subject of the Parmenides, we may

remark that Plato is quite serious in his objections to his own doctrines: nor does Socrates attempt to offer

any answer to them. The perplexities which surround the one and many in the sphere of the Ideas are also

alluded to in the Philebus, and no answer is given to them. Nor have they ever been answered, nor can they

be answered by any one else who separates the phenomenal from the real. To suppose that Plato, at a later

period of his life, reached a point of view from which he was able to answer them, is a groundless

assumption. The real progress of Plato's own mind has been partly concealed from us by the dogmatic

statements of Aristotle, and also by the degeneracy of his own followers, with whom a doctrine of numbers

As a preparation for answering some of the difficulties which have been suggested, we may begin by

Cephalus, of Clazomenae in Ionia, the birthplace of Anaxagoras, a citizen of no mean city in the history of

philosophy, who is the narrator of the dialogue, describes himself as meeting Adeimantus and Glaucon in the

Agora at Athens. 'Welcome, Cephalus: can we do anything for you in Athens?' 'Why, yes: I came to ask a

favour of you. First, tell me your half brother's name, which I have forgottenhe was a mere child when I

was last here;I know his father's, which is Pyrilampes.' 'Yes, and the name of our brother is Antiphon. But

why do you ask?' 'Let me introduce to you some countrymen of mine, who are lovers of philosophy; they

have heard that Antiphon remembers a conversation of Socrates with Parmenides and Zeno, of which the

report came to him from Pythodorus, Zeno's friend.' 'That is quite true.' 'And can they hear the dialogue?'

'Nothing easier; in the days of his youth he made a careful study of the piece; at present, his thoughts have

another direction: he takes after his grandfather, and has given up philosophy for horses.'

'We went to look for him, and found him giving instructions to a worker in brass about a bridle. When he had

done with him, and had learned from his brothers the purpose of our visit, he saluted me as an old

acquaintance, and we asked him to repeat the dialogue. At first, he complained of the trouble, but he soon

consented. He told us that Pythodorus had described to him the appearance of Parmenides and Zeno; they had

come to Athens at the great Panathenaea, the former being at the time about sixtyfive years old, aged but

wellfavouredZeno, who was said to have been beloved of Parmenides in the days of his youth, about

forty, and very goodlooking: that they lodged with Pythodorus at the Ceramicus outside the wall, whither

Socrates, then a very young man, came to see them: Zeno was reading one of his theses, which he had nearly

finished, when Pythodorus entered with Parmenides and Aristoteles, who was afterwards one of the Thirty.

When the recitation was completed, Socrates requested that the first thesis of the treatise might be read again.'

'You mean, Zeno,' said Socrates, 'to argue that being, if it is many, must be both like and unlike, which is a

contradiction; and each division of your argument is intended to elicit a similar absurdity, which may be

supposed to follow from the assumption that being is many.' 'Such is my meaning.' 'I see,' said Socrates,

turning to Parmenides, 'that Zeno is your second self in his writings too; you prove admirably that the all is

one: he gives proofs no less convincing that the many are nought. To deceive the world by saying the same

thing in entirely different forms, is a strain of art beyond most of us.' 'Yes, Socrates,' said Zeno; 'but though

you are as keen as a Spartan hound, you do not quite catch the motive of the piece, which was only intended

to protect Parmenides against ridicule by showing that the hypothesis of the existence of the many involved

greater absurdities than the hypothesis of the one. The book was a youthful composition of mine, which was

stolen from me, and therefore I had no choice about the publication.' 'I quite believe you,' said Socrates; 'but

will you answer me a question? I should like to know, whether you would assume an idea of likeness in the

abstract, which is the contradictory of unlikeness in the abstract, by participation in either or both of which

things are like or unlike or partly both. For the same things may very well partake of like and unlike in the

concrete, though like and unlike in the abstract are irreconcilable. Nor does there appear to me to be any

absurdity in maintaining that the same things may partake of the one and many, though I should be indeed

surprised to hear that the absolute one is also many. For example, I, being many, that is to say, having many

parts or members, am yet also one, and partake of the one, being one of seven who are here present (compare

Philebus). This is not an absurdity, but a truism. But I should be amazed if there were a similar entanglement

in the nature of the ideas themselves, nor can I believe that one and many, like and unlike, rest and motion, in

Pythodorus said that in his opinion Parmenides and Zeno were not very well pleased at the questions which

were raised; nevertheless, they looked at one another and smiled in seeming delight and admiration of

Socrates. 'Tell me,' said Parmenides, 'do you think that the abstract ideas of likeness, unity, and the rest, exist

apart from individuals which partake of them? and is this your own distinction?' 'I think that there are such

ideas.' 'And would you make abstract ideas of the just, the beautiful, the good?' 'Yes,' he said. 'And of human

beings like ourselves, of water, fire, and the like?' 'I am not certain.' 'And would you be undecided also about

ideas of which the mention will, perhaps, appear laughable: of hair, mud, filth, and other things which are

base and vile?' 'No, Parmenides; visible things like these are, as I believe, only what they appear to be: though

I am sometimes disposed to imagine that there is nothing without an idea; but I repress any such notion, from

a fear of falling into an abyss of nonsense.' 'You are young, Socrates, and therefore naturally regard the

opinions of men; the time will come when philosophy will have a firmer hold of you, and you will not

despise even the meanest things. But tell me, is your meaning that things become like by partaking of

likeness, great by partaking of greatness, just and beautiful by partaking of justice and beauty, and so of other

ideas?' 'Yes, that is my meaning.' 'And do you suppose the individual to partake of the whole, or of the part?'

'Why not of the whole?' said Socrates. 'Because,' said Parmenides, 'in that case the whole, which is one, will

become many.' 'Nay,' said Socrates, 'the whole may be like the day, which is one and in many places: in this

way the ideas may be one and also many.' 'In the same sort of way,' said Parmenides, 'as a sail, which is one,

may be a cover to manythat is your meaning?' 'Yes.' 'And would you say that each man is covered by the

whole sail, or by a part only?' 'By a part.' 'Then the ideas have parts, and the objects partake of a part of them

only?' 'That seems to follow.' 'And would you like to say that the ideas are really divisible and yet remain

one?' 'Certainly not.' 'Would you venture to affirm that great objects have a portion only of greatness

transferred to them; or that small or equal objects are small or equal because they are only portions of

smallness or equality?' 'Impossible.' 'But how can individuals participate in ideas, except in the ways which I

have mentioned?' 'That is not an easy question to answer.' 'I should imagine the conception of ideas to arise as

follows: you see great objects pervaded by a common form or idea of greatness, which you abstract.' 'That is

quite true.' 'And supposing you embrace in one view the idea of greatness thus gained and the individuals

which it comprises, a further idea of greatness arises, which makes both great; and this may go on to infinity.'

Socrates replies that the ideas may be thoughts in the mind only; in this case, the consequence would no

longer follow. 'But must not the thought be of something which is the same in all and is the idea? And if the

world partakes in the ideas, and the ideas are thoughts, must not all things think? Or can thought be without

thought?' 'I acknowledge the unmeaningness of this,' says Socrates, 'and would rather have recourse to the

explanation that the ideas are types in nature, and that other things partake of them by becoming like them.'

'But to become like them is to be comprehended in the same idea; and the likeness of the idea and the

individuals implies another idea of likeness, and another without end.' 'Quite true.' 'The theory, then, of

participation by likeness has to be given up. You have hardly yet, Socrates, found out the real difficulty of

maintaining abstract ideas.' 'What difficulty?' 'The greatest of all perhaps is this: an opponent will argue that

the ideas are not within the range of human knowledge; and you cannot disprove the assertion without a long

and laborious demonstration, which he may be unable or unwilling to follow. In the first place, neither you

nor any one who maintains the existence of absolute ideas will affirm that they are subjective.' 'That would be

a contradiction.' 'True; and therefore any relation in these ideas is a relation which concerns themselves only;

and the objects which are named after them, are relative to one another only, and have nothing to do with the

ideas themselves.' 'How do you mean?' said Socrates. 'I may illustrate my meaning in this way: one of us has

a slave; and the idea of a slave in the abstract is relative to the idea of a master in the abstract; this

correspondence of ideas, however, has nothing to do with the particular relation of our slave to us.Do you

see my meaning?' 'Perfectly.' 'And absolute knowledge in the same way corresponds to absolute truth and

being, and particular knowledge to particular truth and being.' Clearly.' 'And there is a subjective knowledge

which is of subjective truth, having many kinds, general and particular. But the ideas themselves are not

subjective, and therefore are not within our ken.' 'They are not.' 'Then the beautiful and the good in their own

nature are unknown to us?' 'It would seem so.' 'There is a worse consequence yet.' 'What is that?' 'I think we

must admit that absolute knowledge is the most exact knowledge, which we must therefore attribute to God.

But then see what follows: God, having this exact knowledge, can have no knowledge of human things, as we

have divided the two spheres, and forbidden any passing from one to the other:the gods have knowledge

and authority in their world only, as we have in ours.' 'Yet, surely, to deprive God of knowledge is

monstrous.''These are some of the difficulties which are involved in the assumption of absolute ideas; the

learner will find them nearly impossible to understand, and the teacher who has to impart them will require

superhuman ability; there will always be a suspicion, either that they have no existence, or are beyond human

knowledge.' 'There I agree with you,' said Socrates. 'Yet if these difficulties induce you to give up universal

ideas, what becomes of the mind? and where are the reasoning and reflecting powers? philosophy is at an

end.' 'I certainly do not see my way.' 'I think,' said Parmenides, 'that this arises out of your attempting to

define abstractions, such as the good and the beautiful and the just, before you have had sufficient previous

training; I noticed your deficiency when you were talking with Aristoteles, the day before yesterday. Your

enthusiasm is a wonderful gift; but I fear that unless you discipline yourself by dialectic while you are young,

truth will elude your grasp.' 'And what kind of discipline would you recommend?' 'The training which you

heard Zeno practising; at the same time, I admire your saying to him that you did not care to consider the

difficulty in reference to visible objects, but only in relation to ideas.' 'Yes; because I think that in visible

objects you may easily show any number of inconsistent consequences.' 'Yes; and you should consider, not

only the consequences which follow from a given hypothesis, but the consequences also which follow from

the denial of the hypothesis. For example, what follows from the assumption of the existence of the many,

and the counterargument of what follows from the denial of the existence of the many: and similarly of

likeness and unlikeness, motion, rest, generation, corruption, being and not being. And the consequences

must include consequences to the things supposed and to other things, in themselves and in relation to one

another, to individuals whom you select, to the many, and to the all; these must be drawn out both on the

affirmative and on the negative hypothesis,that is, if you are to train yourself perfectly to the intelligence

of the truth.' 'What you are suggesting seems to be a tremendous process, and one of which I do not quite

understand the nature,' said Socrates; 'will you give me an example?' 'You must not impose such a task on a

man of my years,' said Parmenides. 'Then will you, Zeno?' 'Let us rather,' said Zeno, with a smile, 'ask

Parmenides, for the undertaking is a serious one, as he truly says; nor could I urge him to make the attempt,

except in a select audience of persons who will understand him.' The whole party joined in the request.

Here we have, first of all, an unmistakable attack made by the youthful Socrates on the paradoxes of Zeno.

He perfectly understands their drift, and Zeno himself is supposed to admit this. But they appear to him, as he

says in the Philebus also, to be rather truisms than paradoxes. For every one must acknowledge the obvious

fact, that the body being one has many members, and that, in a thousand ways, the like partakes of the unlike,

the many of the one. The real difficulty begins with the relations of ideas in themselves, whether of the one

and many, or of any other ideas, to one another and to the mind. But this was a problem which the Eleatic

philosophers had never considered; their thoughts had not gone beyond the contradictions of matter, motion,

It was no wonder that Parmenides and Zeno should hear the novel speculations of Socrates with mixed

feelings of admiration and displeasure. He was going out of the received circle of disputation into a region in

which they could hardly follow him. From the crude idea of Being in the abstract, he was about to proceed to

universals or general notions. There is no contradiction in material things partaking of the ideas of one and

many; neither is there any contradiction in the ideas of one and many, like and unlike, in themselves. But the

contradiction arises when we attempt to conceive ideas in their connexion, or to ascertain their relation to

phenomena. Still he affirms the existence of such ideas; and this is the position which is now in turn

To appreciate truly the character of these criticisms, we must remember the place held by Parmenides in the

history of Greek philosophy. He is the founder of idealism, and also of dialectic, or, in modern phraseology,

of metaphysics and logic (Theaet., Soph.). Like Plato, he is struggling after something wider and deeper than

satisfied the contemporary Pythagoreans. And Plato with a true instinct recognizes him as his spiritual father,

whom he 'revered and honoured more than all other philosophers together.' He may be supposed to have

thought more than he said, or was able to express. And, although he could not, as a matter of fact, have

criticized the ideas of Plato without an anachronism, the criticism is appropriately placed in the mouth of the

There was probably a time in the life of Plato when the ethical teaching of Socrates came into conflict with

the metaphysical theories of the earlier philosophers, and he sought to supplement the one by the other. The

older philosophers were great and awful; and they had the charm of antiquity. Something which found a

response in his own mind seemed to have been lost as well as gained in the Socratic dialectic. He felt no

incongruity in the veteran Parmenides correcting the youthful Socrates. Two points in his criticism are

especially deserving of notice. First of all, Parmenides tries him by the test of consistency. Socrates is willing

to assume ideas or principles of the just, the beautiful, the good, and to extend them to man (compare

Phaedo); but he is reluctant to admit that there are general ideas of hair, mud, filth, etc. There is an ethical

universal or idea, but is there also a universal of physics?of the meanest things in the world as well as of

the greatest? Parmenides rebukes this want of consistency in Socrates, which he attributes to his youth. As he

grows older, philosophy will take a firmer hold of him, and then he will despise neither great things nor

small, and he will think less of the opinions of mankind (compare Soph.). Here is lightly touched one of the

most familiar principles of modern philosophy, that in the meanest operations of nature, as well as in the

noblest, in mud and filth, as well as in the sun and stars, great truths are contained. At the same time, we may

note also the transition in the mind of Plato, to which Aristotle alludes (Met.), when, as he says, he

The other criticism of Parmenides on Socrates attributes to him a want of practice in dialectic. He has

observed this deficiency in him when talking to Aristoteles on a previous occasion. Plato seems to imply that

there was something more in the dialectic of Zeno than in the mere interrogation of Socrates. Here, again, he

may perhaps be describing the process which his own mind went through when he first became more

intimately acquainted, whether at Megara or elsewhere, with the Eleatic and Megarian philosophers. Still,

Parmenides does not deny to Socrates the credit of having gone beyond them in seeking to apply the

paradoxes of Zeno to ideas; and this is the application which he himself makes of them in the latter part of the

dialogue. He then proceeds to explain to him the sort of mental gymnastic which he should practise. He

should consider not only what would follow from a given hypothesis, but what would follow from the denial

of it, to that which is the subject of the hypothesis, and to all other things. There is no trace in the

Memorabilia of Xenophon of any such method being attributed to Socrates; nor is the dialectic here spoken of

that 'favourite method' of proceeding by regular divisions, which is described in the Phaedrus and Philebus,

and of which examples are given in the Politicus and in the Sophist. It is expressly spoken of as the method

which Socrates had heard Zeno practise in the days of his youth (compare Soph.).

The discussion of Socrates with Parmenides is one of the most remarkable passages in Plato. Few writers

have ever been able to anticipate 'the criticism of the morrow' on their favourite notions. But Plato may here

be said to anticipate the judgment not only of the morrow, but of all after ages on the Platonic Ideas. For in

some points he touches questions which have not yet received their solution in modern philosophy.

The first difficulty which Parmenides raises respecting the Platonic ideas relates to the manner in which

individuals are connected with them. Do they participate in the ideas, or do they merely resemble them?

Parmenides shows that objections may be urged against either of these modes of conceiving the connection.

Things are little by partaking of littleness, great by partaking of greatness, and the like. But they cannot

partake of a part of greatness, for that will not make them great, etc.; nor can each object monopolise the

whole. The only answer to this is, that 'partaking' is a figure of speech, really corresponding to the processes

which a later logic designates by the terms 'abstraction' and 'generalization.' When we have described

accurately the methods or forms which the mind employs, we cannot further criticize them; at least we can

only criticize them with reference to their fitness as instruments of thought to express facts.

Socrates attempts to support his view of the ideas by the parallel of the day, which is one and in many places;

but he is easily driven from his position by a counter illustration of Parmenides, who compares the idea of

greatness to a sail. He truly explains to Socrates that he has attained the conception of ideas by a process of

generalization. At the same time, he points out a difficulty, which appears to be involvedviz. that the

process of generalization will go on to infinity. Socrates meets the supposed difficulty by a flash of light,

which is indeed the true answer 'that the ideas are in our minds only.' Neither realism is the truth, nor

nominalism is the truth, but conceptualism; and conceptualism or any other psychological theory falls very

But the realism of ancient philosophy will not admit of this answer, which is repelled by Parmenides with

another truth or halftruth of later philosophy, 'Every subject or subjective must have an object.' Here is the

great though unconscious truth (shall we say?) or error, which underlay the early Greek philosophy. 'Ideas

must have a real existence;' they are not mere forms or opinions, which may be changed arbitrarily by

individuals. But the early Greek philosopher never clearly saw that true ideas were only universal facts, and

Socrates makes one more attempt to defend the Platonic Ideas by representing them as paradigms; this is

again answered by the 'argumentum ad infinitum.' We may remark, in passing, that the process which is thus

described has no real existence. The mind, after having obtained a general idea, does not really go on to form

another which includes that, and all the individuals contained under it, and another and another without end.

The difficulty belongs in fact to the Megarian age of philosophy, and is due to their illogical logic, and to the

general ignorance of the ancients respecting the part played by language in the process of thought. No such

perplexity could ever trouble a modern metaphysician, any more than the fallacy of 'calvus' or 'acervus,' or of

'Achilles and the tortoise.' These 'surds' of metaphysics ought to occasion no more difficulty in speculation

It is otherwise with the objection which follows: How are we to bridge the chasm between human truth and

absolute truth, between gods and men? This is the difficulty of philosophy in all ages: How can we get

beyond the circle of our own ideas, or how, remaining within them, can we have any criterion of a truth

beyond and independent of them? Parmenides draws out this difficulty with great clearness. According to

him, there are not only one but two chasms: the first, between individuals and the ideas which have a

common name; the second, between the ideas in us and the ideas absolute. The first of these two difficulties

mankind, as we may say, a little parodying the language of the Philebus, have long agreed to treat as

obsolete; the second remains a difficulty for us as well as for the Greeks of the fourth century before Christ,

and is the stumblingblock of Kant's Kritik, and of the Hamiltonian adaptation of Kant, as well as of the

Platonic ideas. It has been said that 'you cannot criticize Revelation.' 'Then how do you know what is

Revelation, or that there is one at all,' is the immediate rejoinder'You know nothing of things in

themselves.' 'Then how do you know that there are things in themselves?' In some respects, the difficulty

pressed harder upon the Greek than upon ourselves. For conceiving of God more under the attribute of

knowledge than we do, he was more under the necessity of separating the divine from the human, as two

It is remarkable that Plato, speaking by the mouth of Parmenides, does not treat even this second class of

difficulties as hopeless or insoluble. He says only that they cannot be explained without a long and laborious

demonstration: 'The teacher will require superhuman ability, and the learner will be hard of understanding.'

But an attempt must be made to find an answer to them; for, as Socrates and Parmenides both admit, the

denial of abstract ideas is the destruction of the mind. We can easily imagine that among the Greek schools of

philosophy in the fourth century before Christ a panic might arise from the denial of universals, similar to

that which arose in the last century from Hume's denial of our ideas of cause and effect. Men do not at first

recognize that thought, like digestion, will go on much the same, notwithstanding any theories which may be

entertained respecting the nature of the process. Parmenides attributes the difficulties in which Socrates is

involved to a want of comprehensiveness in his mode of reasoning; he should consider every question on the

negative as well as the positive hypothesis, with reference to the consequences which flow from the denial as

The argument which follows is the most singular in Plato. It appears to be an imitation, or parody, of the

Zenonian dialectic, just as the speeches in the Phaedrus are an imitation of the style of Lysias, or as the

derivations in the Cratylus or the fallacies of the Euthydemus are a parody of some contemporary Sophist.

The interlocutor is not supposed, as in most of the other Platonic dialogues, to take a living part in the

argument; he is only required to say 'Yes' and 'No' in the right places. A hint has been already given that the

paradoxes of Zeno admitted of a higher application. This hint is the thread by which Plato connects the two

The paradoxes of Parmenides seem trivial to us, because the words to which they relate have become trivial;

their true nature as abstract terms is perfectly understood by us, and we are inclined to regard the treatment of

them in Plato as a mere strawsplitting, or legerdemain of words. Yet there was a power in them which

fascinated the Neoplatonists for centuries afterwards. Something that they found in them, or brought to

themsome echo or anticipation of a great truth or error, exercised a wonderful influence over their minds.

To do the Parmenides justice, we should imagine similar aporiai raised on themes as sacred to us, as the

notions of One or Being were to an ancient Eleatic. 'If God is, what follows? If God is not, what follows?' Or

again: If God is or is not the world; or if God is or is not many, or has or has not parts, or is or is not in the

world, or in time; or is or is not finite or infinite. Or if the world is or is not; or has or has not a beginning or

end; or is or is not infinite, or infinitely divisible. Or again: if God is or is not identical with his laws; or if

man is or is not identical with the laws of nature. We can easily see that here are many subjects for thought,

and that from these and similar hypotheses questions of great interest might arise. And we also remark, that

the conclusions derived from either of the two alternative propositions might be equally impossible and

When we ask what is the object of these paradoxes, some have answered that they are a mere logical puzzle,

while others have seen in them an Hegelian propaedeutic of the doctrine of Ideas. The first of these views

derives support from the manner in which Parmenides speaks of a similar method being applied to all Ideas.

Yet it is hard to suppose that Plato would have furnished so elaborate an example, not of his own but of the

Eleatic dialectic, had he intended only to give an illustration of method. The second view has been often

overstated by those who, like Hegel himself, have tended to confuse ancient with modern philosophy. We

need not deny that Plato, trained in the school of Cratylus and Heracleitus, may have seen that a contradiction

in terms is sometimes the best expression of a truth higher than either (compare Soph.). But his ideal theory is

not based on antinomies. The correlation of Ideas was the metaphysical difficulty of the age in which he

lived; and the Megarian and Cynic philosophy was a 'reductio ad absurdum' of their isolation. To restore them

to their natural connexion and to detect the negative element in them is the aim of Plato in the Sophist. But

his view of their connexion falls very far short of the Hegelian identity of Being and Notbeing. The Being

and Notbeing of Plato never merge in each other, though he is aware that 'determination is only negation.'

After criticizing the hypotheses of others, it may appear presumptuous to add another guess to the many

which have been already offered. May we say, in Platonic language, that we still seem to see vestiges of a

track which has not yet been taken? It is quite possible that the obscurity of the Parmenides would not have

existed to a contemporary student of philosophy, and, like the similar difficulty in the Philebus, is really due

to our ignorance of the mind of the age. There is an obscure Megarian influence on Plato which cannot

wholly be cleared up, and is not much illustrated by the doubtful tradition of his retirement to Megara after

the death of Socrates. For Megara was within a walk of Athens (Phaedr.), and Plato might have learned the

We may begin by remarking that the theses of Parmenides are expressly said to follow the method of Zeno,

and that the complex dilemma, though declared to be capable of universal application, is applied in this

instance to Zeno's familiar question of the 'one and many.' Here, then, is a double indication of the connexion

of the Parmenides with the Eristic school. The old Eleatics had asserted the existence of Being, which they at

first regarded as finite, then as infinite, then as neither finite nor infinite, to which some of them had given

what Aristotle calls 'a form,' others had ascribed a material nature only. The tendency of their philosophy was

to deny to Being all predicates. The Megarians, who succeeded them, like the Cynics, affirmed that no

predicate could be asserted of any subject; they also converted the idea of Being into an abstraction of Good,

perhaps with the view of preserving a sort of neutrality or indifference between the mind and things. As if

they had said, in the language of modern philosophy: 'Being is not only neither finite nor infinite, neither at

This is the track along which Plato is leading us. Zeno had attempted to prove the existence of the one by

disproving the existence of the many, and Parmenides seems to aim at proving the existence of the subject by

showing the contradictions which follow from the assertion of any predicates. Take the simplest of all

notions, 'unity'; you cannot even assert being or time of this without involving a contradiction. But is the

contradiction also the final conclusion? Probably no more than of Zeno's denial of the many, or of

Parmenides' assault upon the Ideas; no more than of the earlier dialogues 'of search.' To us there seems to be

no residuum of this long piece of dialectics. But to the mind of Parmenides and Plato, 'Gott betrunkene

Menschen,' there still remained the idea of 'being' or 'good,' which could not be conceived, defined, uttered,

but could not be got rid of. Neither of them would have imagined that their disputation ever touched the

Divine Being (compare Phil.). The same difficulties about Unity and Being are raised in the Sophist; but

If this view is correct, the real aim of the hypotheses of Parmenides is to criticize the earlier Eleatic

philosophy from the point of view of Zeno or the Megarians. It is the same kind of criticism which Plato has

extended to his own doctrine of Ideas. Nor is there any want of poetical consistency in attributing to the

'father Parmenides' the last review of the Eleatic doctrines. The latest phases of all philosophies were fathered

Other critics have regarded the final conclusion of the Parmenides either as sceptical or as Heracleitean. In

the first case, they assume that Plato means to show the impossibility of any truth. But this is not the spirit of

Plato, and could not with propriety be put into the mouth of Parmenides, who, in this very dialogue, is urging

Socrates, not to doubt everything, but to discipline his mind with a view to the more precise attainment of

truth. The same remark applies to the second of the two theories. Plato everywhere ridicules (perhaps

unfairly) his Heracleitean contemporaries: and if he had intended to support an Heracleitean thesis, would

hardly have chosen Parmenides, the condemner of the 'undiscerning tribe who say that things both are and are

not,' to be the speaker. Nor, thirdly, can we easily persuade ourselves with Zeller that by the 'one' he means

the Idea; and that he is seeking to prove indirectly the unity of the Idea in the multiplicity of phenomena.

We may now endeavour to thread the mazes of the labyrinth which Parmenides knew so well, and trembled at

'I cannot refuse,' said Parmenides, 'since, as Zeno remarks, we are alone, though I may say with Ibycus, who

in his old age fell in love, I, like the old racehorse, tremble at the prospect of the course which I am to run,

and which I know so well. But as I must attempt this laborious game, what shall be the subject? Suppose I

take my own hypothesis of the one.' 'By all means,' said Zeno. 'And who will answer me? Shall I propose the

youngest? he will be the most likely to say what he thinks, and his answers will give me time to breathe.' 'I

am the youngest,' said Aristoteles, 'and at your service; proceed with your questions.'The result may be

1.a. One is not many, and therefore has no parts, and therefore is not a whole, which is a sum of parts, and

therefore has neither beginning, middle, nor end, and is therefore unlimited, and therefore formless, being

neither round nor straight, for neither round nor straight can be defined without assuming that they have

parts; and therefore is not in place, whether in another which would encircle and touch the one at many

points; or in itself, because that which is selfcontaining is also contained, and therefore not one but two.

This being premised, let us consider whether one is capable either of motion or rest. For motion is either

change of substance, or motion on an axis, or from one place to another. But the one is incapable of change of

substance, which implies that it ceases to be itself, or of motion on an axis, because there would be parts

around the axis; and any other motion involves change of place. But existence in place has been already

shown to be impossible; and yet more impossible is coming into being in place, which implies partial

existence in two places at once, or entire existence neither within nor without the same; and how can this be?

And more impossible still is the coming into being either as a whole or parts of that which is neither a whole

nor parts. The one, then, is incapable of motion. But neither can the one be in anything, and therefore not in

the same, whether itself or some other, and is therefore incapable of rest. Neither is one the same with itself

or any other, or other than itself or any other. For if other than itself, then other than one, and therefore not

one; and, if the same with other, it would be other, and other than one. Neither can one while remaining one

be other than other; for other, and not one, is the other than other. But if not other by virtue of being one, not

by virtue of itself; and if not by virtue of itself, not itself other, and if not itself other, not other than anything.

Neither will one be the same with itself. For the nature of the same is not that of the one, but a thing which

becomes the same with anything does not become one; for example, that which becomes the same with the

many becomes many and not one. And therefore if the one is the same with itself, the one is not one with

itself; and therefore one and not one. And therefore one is neither other than other, nor the same with itself.

Neither will the one be like or unlike itself or other; for likeness is sameness of affections, and the one and

the same are different. And one having any affection which is other than being one would be more than one.

The one, then, cannot have the same affection with and therefore cannot be like itself or other; nor can the

one have any other affection than its own, that is, be unlike itself or any other, for this would imply that it

was more than one. The one, then, is neither like nor unlike itself or other. This being the case, neither can the

one be equal or unequal to itself or other. For equality implies sameness of measure, as inequality implies a

greater or less number of measures. But the one, not having sameness, cannot have sameness of measure; nor

a greater or less number of measures, for that would imply parts and multitude. Once more, can one be older

or younger than itself or other? or of the same age with itself or other? That would imply likeness and

unlikeness, equality and inequality. Therefore one cannot be in time, because that which is in time is ever

becoming older and younger than itself, (for older and younger are relative terms, and he who becomes older

becomes younger,) and is also of the same age with itself. None of which, or any other expressions of time,

whether past, future, or present, can be affirmed of one. One neither is, has been, nor will be, nor becomes,

nor has, nor will become. And, as these are the only modes of being, one is not, and is not one. But to that

which is not, there is no attribute or relative, neither name nor word nor idea nor science nor perception nor

opinion appertaining. One, then, is neither named, nor uttered, nor known, nor perceived, nor imagined. But

1.b. Let us, however, commence the inquiry again. We have to work out all the consequences which follow

on the assumption that the one is. If one is, one partakes of being, which is not the same with one; the words

'being' and 'one' have different meanings. Observe the consequence: In the one of being or the being of one

are two parts, being and one, which form one whole. And each of the two parts is also a whole, and involves

the other, and may be further subdivided into one and being, and is therefore not one but two; and thus one is

never one, and in this way the one, if it is, becomes many and infinite. Again, let us conceive of a one which

by an effort of abstraction we separate from being: will this abstract one be one or many? You say one only;

let us see. In the first place, the being of one is other than one; and one and being, if different, are so because

they both partake of the nature of other, which is therefore neither one nor being; and whether we take being

and other, or being and one, or one and other, in any case we have two things which separately are called

either, and together both. And both are two and either of two is severally one, and if one be added to any of

the pairs, the sum is three; and two is an even number, three an odd; and two units exist twice, and therefore

there are twice two; and three units exist thrice, and therefore there are thrice three, and taken together they

give twice three and thrice two: we have even numbers multiplied into even, and odd into even, and even into

odd numbers. But if one is, and both odd and even numbers are implied in one, must not every number exist?

And number is infinite, and therefore existence must be infinite, for all and every number partakes of being;

therefore being has the greatest number of parts, and every part, however great or however small, is equally

one. But can one be in many places and yet be a whole? If not a whole it must be divided into parts and

represented by a number corresponding to the number of the parts. And if so, we were wrong in saying that

being has the greatest number of parts; for being is coequal and coextensive with one, and has no more parts

than one; and so the abstract one broken up into parts by being is many and infinite. But the parts are parts of

a whole, and the whole is their containing limit, and the one is therefore limited as well as infinite in number;

and that which is a whole has beginning, middle, and end, and a middle is equidistant from the extremes; and

one is therefore of a certain figure, round or straight, or a combination of the two, and being a whole includes

all the parts which are the whole, and is therefore self contained. But then, again, the whole is not in the

parts, whether all or some. Not in all, because, if in all, also in one; for, if wanting in any one, how in

all?not in some, because the greater would then be contained in the less. But if not in all, nor in any, nor in

some, either nowhere or in other. And if nowhere, nothing; therefore in other. The one as a whole, then, is in

another, but regarded as a sum of parts is in itself; and is, therefore, both in itself and in another. This being

the case, the one is at once both at rest and in motion: at rest, because resting in itself; in motion, because it is

ever in other. And if there is truth in what has preceded, one is the same and not the same with itself and

other. For everything in relation to every other thing is either the same with it or other; or if neither the same

nor other, then in the relation of part to a whole or whole to a part. But one cannot be a part or whole in

relation to one, nor other than one; and is therefore the same with one. Yet this sameness is again contradicted

by one being in another place from itself which is in the same place; this follows from one being in itself and

in another; one, therefore, is other than itself. But if anything is other than anything, will it not be other than

other? And the not one is other than the one, and the one than the not one; therefore one is other than all

others. But the same and the other exclude one another, and therefore the other can never be in the same; nor

can the other be in anything for ever so short a time, as for that time the other will be in the same. And the

other, if never in the same, cannot be either in the one or in the not one. And one is not other than not one,

either by reason of other or of itself; and therefore they are not other than one another at all. Neither can the

not one partake or be part of one, for in that case it would be one; nor can the not one be number, for that also

involves one. And therefore, not being other than the one or related to the one as a whole to parts or parts to a

whole, not one is the same as one. Wherefore the one is the same and also not the same with the others and

also with itself; and is therefore like and unlike itself and the others, and just as different from the others as

they are from the one, neither more nor less. But if neither more nor less, equally different; and therefore the

one and the others have the same relations. This may be illustrated by the case of names: when you repeat the

same name twice over, you mean the same thing; and when you say that the other is other than the one, or the

one other than the other, this very word other (eteron), which is attributed to both, implies sameness. One,

then, as being other than others, and other as being other than one, are alike in that they have the relation of

otherness; and likeness is similarity of relations. And everything as being other of everything is also like

everything. Again, same and other, like and unlike, are opposites: and since in virtue of being other than the

others the one is like them, in virtue of being the same it must be unlike. Again, one, as having the same

relations, has no difference of relation, and is therefore not unlike, and therefore like; or, as having different

relations, is different and unlike. Thus, one, as being the same and not the same with itself and othersfor

both these reasons and for either of themis also like and unlike itself and the others. Again, how far can

one touch itself and the others? As existing in others, it touches the others; and as existing in itself, touches

only itself. But from another point of view, that which touches another must be next in order of place; one,

therefore, must be next in order of place to itself, and would therefore be two, and in two places. But one

cannot be two, and therefore cannot be in contact with itself. Nor again can one touch the other. Two objects

are required to make one contact; three objects make two contacts; and all the objects in the world, if placed

in a series, would have as many contacts as there are objects, less one. But if one only exists, and not two,

there is no contact. And the others, being other than one, have no part in one, and therefore none in number,

and therefore two has no existence, and therefore there is no contact. For all which reasons, one has and has

Once more, Is one equal and unequal to itself and the others? Suppose one and the others to be greater or less

than each other or equal to one another, they will be greater or less or equal by reason of equality or greatness

or smallness inhering in them in addition to their own proper nature. Let us begin by assuming smallness to

be inherent in one: in this case the inherence is either in the whole or in a part. If the first, smallness is either

coextensive with the whole one, or contains the whole, and, if coextensive with the one, is equal to the one, or

if containing the one will be greater than the one. But smallness thus performs the function of equality or of

greatness, which is impossible. Again, if the inherence be in a part, the same contradiction follows: smallness

will be equal to the part or greater than the part; therefore smallness will not inhere in anything, and except

the idea of smallness there will be nothing small. Neither will greatness; for greatness will have a

greater;and there will be no small in relation to which it is great. And there will be no great or small in

objects, but greatness and smallness will be relative only to each other; therefore the others cannot be greater

or less than the one; also the one can neither exceed nor be exceeded by the others, and they are therefore

equal to one another. And this will be true also of the one in relation to itself: one will be equal to itself as

well as to the others (talla). Yet one, being in itself, must also be about itself, containing and contained, and is

therefore greater and less than itself. Further, there is nothing beside the one and the others; and as these must

be in something, they must therefore be in one another; and as that in which a thing is is greater than the

thing, the inference is that they are both greater and less than one another, because containing and contained

in one another. Therefore the one is equal to and greater and less than itself or other, having also measures or

But does one partake of time? This must be acknowledged, if the one partakes of being. For 'to be' is the

participation of being in present time, 'to have been' in past, 'to be about to be' in future time. And as time is

ever moving forward, the one becomes older than itself; and therefore younger than itself; and is older and

also younger when in the process of becoming it arrives at the present; and it is always older and younger, for

at any moment the one is, and therefore it becomes and is not older and younger than itself but during an

And what are the relations of the one to the others? Is it or does it become older or younger than they? At any

rate the others are more than one, and one, being the least of all numbers, must be prior in time to greater

numbers. But on the other hand, one must come into being in a manner accordant with its own nature. Now

one has parts or others, and has therefore a beginning, middle, and end, of which the beginning is first and the

end last. And the parts come into existence first; last of all the whole, contemporaneously with the end, being

therefore younger, while the parts or others are older than the one. But, again, the one comes into being in

each of the parts as much as in the whole, and must be of the same age with them. Therefore one is at once

older and younger than the parts or others, and also contemporaneous with them, for no part can be a part

which is not one. Is this true of becoming as well as being? Thus much may be affirmed, that the same things

which are older or younger cannot become older or younger in a greater degree than they were at first by the

addition of equal times. But, on the other hand, the one, if older than others, has come into being a longer

time than they have. And when equal time is added to a longer and shorter, the relative difference between

them is diminished. In this way that which was older becomes younger, and that which was younger becomes

older, that is to say, younger and older than at first; and they ever become and never have become, for then

they would be. Thus the one and others always are and are becoming and not becoming younger and also

older than one another. And one, partaking of time and also partaking of becoming older and younger, admits

of all time, present, past, and futurewas, is, shall bewas becoming, is becoming, will become. And there

is science of the one, and opinion and name and expression, as is already implied in the fact of our inquiry.

Yet once more, if one be one and many, and neither one nor many, and also participant of time, must there

not be a time at which one as being one partakes of being, and a time when one as not being one is deprived

of being? But these two contradictory states cannot be experienced by the one both together: there must be a

time of transition. And the transition is a process of generation and destruction, into and from being and

notbeing, the one and the others. For the generation of the one is the destruction of the others, and the

generation of the others is the destruction of the one. There is also separation and aggregation, assimilation

and dissimilation, increase, diminution, equalization, a passage from motion to rest, and from rest to motion

in the one and many. But when do all these changes take place? When does motion become rest, or rest

motion? The answer to this question will throw a light upon all the others. Nothing can be in motion and at

rest at the same time; and therefore the change takes place 'in a moment'which is a strange expression, and

seems to mean change in no time. Which is true also of all the other changes, which likewise take place in no

1.aa. But if one is, what happens to the others, which in the first place are not one, yet may partake of one in a

certain way? The others are other than the one because they have parts, for if they had no parts they would be

simply one, and parts imply a whole to which they belong; otherwise each part would be a part of many, and

being itself one of them, of itself, and if a part of all, of each one of the other parts, which is absurd. For a

part, if not a part of one, must be a part of all but this one, and if so not a part of each one; and if not a part of

each one, not a part of any one of many, and so not of one; and if of none, how of all? Therefore a part is

neither a part of many nor of all, but of an absolute and perfect whole or one. And if the others have parts,

they must partake of the whole, and must be the whole of which they are the parts. And each part, as the word

'each' implies, is also an absolute one. And both the whole and the parts partake of one, for the whole of

which the parts are parts is one, and each part is one part of the whole; and whole and parts as participating in

one are other than one, and as being other than one are many and infinite; and however small a fraction you

separate from them is many and not one. Yet the fact of their being parts furnishes the others with a limit

towards other parts and towards the whole; they are finite and also infinite: finite through participation in the

one, infinite in their own nature. And as being finite, they are alike; and as being infinite, they are alike; but

as being both finite and also infinite, they are in the highest degree unlike. And all other opposites might

1.bb. Once more, leaving all this: Is there not also an opposite series of consequences which is equally true of

the others, and may be deduced from the existence of one? There is. One is distinct from the others, and the

others from one; for one and the others are all things, and there is no third existence besides them. And the

whole of one cannot be in others nor parts of it, for it is separated from others and has no parts, and therefore

the others have no unity, nor plurality, nor duality, nor any other number, nor any opposition or distinction,

such as likeness and unlikeness, some and other, generation and corruption, odd and even. For if they had

these they would partake either of one opposite, and this would be a participation in one; or of two opposites,

and this would be a participation in two. Thus if one exists, one is all things, and likewise nothing, in relation

2.a. But, again, assume the opposite hypothesis, that the one is not, and what is the consequence? In the first

place, the proposition, that one is not, is clearly opposed to the proposition, that not one is not. The subject of

any negative proposition implies at once knowledge and difference. Thus 'one' in the proposition'The one

is not,' must be something known, or the words would be unintelligible; and again this 'one which is not' is

something different from other things. Moreover, this and that, some and other, may be all attributed or

related to the one which is not, and which though nonexistent may and must have plurality, if the one only is

nonexistent and nothing else; but if all is notbeing there is nothing which can be spoken of. Also the one

which is not differs, and is different in kind from the others, and therefore unlike them; and they being other

than the one, are unlike the one, which is therefore unlike them. But one, being unlike other, must be like

itself; for the unlikeness of one to itself is the destruction of the hypothesis; and one cannot be equal to the

others; for that would suppose being in the one, and the others would be equal to one and like one; both

which are impossible, if one does not exist. The one which is not, then, if not equal is unequal to the others,

and in equality implies great and small, and equality lies between great and small, and therefore the one

which is not partakes of equality. Further, the one which is not has being; for that which is true is, and it is

true that the one is not. And so the one which is not, if remitting aught of the being of nonexistence, would

become existent. For not being implies the being of notbeing, and being the notbeing of not being; or

more truly being partakes of the being of being and not of the being of notbeing, and notbeing of the being

of notbeing and not of the notbeing of notbeing. And therefore the one which is not has being and also

notbeing. And the union of being and notbeing involves change or motion. But how can notbeing, which

is nowhere, move or change, either from one place to another or in the same place? And whether it is or is

not, it would cease to be one if experiencing a change of substance. The one which is not, then, is both in

motion and at rest, is altered and unaltered, and becomes and is destroyed, and does not become and is not

2.b. Once more, let us ask the question, If one is not, what happens in regard to one? The expression 'is not'

implies negation of being:do we mean by this to say that a thing, which is not, in a certain sense is? or do

we mean absolutely to deny being of it? The latter. Then the one which is not can neither be nor become nor

perish nor experience change of substance or place. Neither can rest, or motion, or greatness, or smallness, or

equality, or unlikeness, or likeness either to itself or other, or attribute or relation, or now or hereafter or

formerly, or knowledge or opinion or perception or name or anything else be asserted of that which is not.

2.aa. Once more, if one is not, what becomes of the others? If we speak of them they must be, and their very

name implies difference, and difference implies relation, not to the one, which is not, but to one another. And

they are others of each other not as units but as infinities, the least of which is also infinity, and capable of

infinitesimal division. And they will have no unity or number, but only a semblance of unity and number; and

the least of them will appear large and manifold in comparison with the infinitesimal fractions into which it

may be divided. Further, each particle will have the appearance of being equal with the fractions. For in

passing from the greater to the less it must reach an intermediate point, which is equality. Moreover, each

particle although having a limit in relation to itself and to other particles, yet it has neither beginning, middle,

nor end; for there is always a beginning before the beginning, and a middle within the middle, and an end

beyond the end, because the infinitesimal division is never arrested by the one. Thus all being is one at a

distance, and broken up when near, and like at a distance and unlike when near; and also the particles which

compose being seem to be like and unlike, in rest and motion, in generation and corruption, in contact and

2.bb. Once more, let us inquire, If the one is not, and the others of the one are, what follows? In the first

place, the others will not be the one, nor the many, for in that case the one would be contained in them;

neither will they appear to be one or many; because they have no communion or participation in that which is

not, nor semblance of that which is not. If one is not, the others neither are, nor appear to be one or many, like

The result of all which is, that whether one is or is not, one and the others, in relation to themselves and to

one another, are and are not, and appear to be and appear not to be, in all manner of ways.

I. On the first hypothesis we may remark: first, That one is one is an identical proposition, from which we

might expect that no further consequences could be deduced. The train of consequences which follows, is

inferred by altering the predicate into 'not many.' Yet, perhaps, if a strict Eristic had been present, oios aner ei

kai nun paren, he might have affirmed that the not many presented a different aspect of the conception from

the one, and was therefore not identical with it. Such a subtlety would be very much in character with the

Zenonian dialectic. Secondly, We may note, that the conclusion is really involved in the premises. For one is

conceived as one, in a sense which excludes all predicates. When the meaning of one has been reduced to a

point, there is no use in saying that it has neither parts nor magnitude. Thirdly, The conception of the same is,

first of all, identified with the one; and then by a further analysis distinguished from, and even opposed to it.

Fourthly, We may detect notions, which have reappeared in modern philosophy, e.g. the bare abstraction of

undefined unity, answering to the Hegelian 'Seyn,' or the identity of contradictions 'that which is older is also

younger,' etc., or the Kantian conception of an a priori synthetical proposition 'one is.'

II. In the first series of propositions the word 'is' is really the copula; in the second, the verb of existence. As

in the first series, the negative consequence followed from one being affirmed to be equivalent to the not

many; so here the affirmative consequence is deduced from one being equivalent to the many.

In the former case, nothing could be predicated of the one, but now everythingmultitude, relation, place,

time, transition. One is regarded in all the aspects of one, and with a reference to all the consequences which

flow, either from the combination or the separation of them. The notion of transition involves the singular

extratemporal conception of 'suddenness.' This idea of 'suddenness' is based upon the contradiction which is

involved in supposing that anything can be in two places at once. It is a mere fiction; and we may observe

that similar antinomies have led modern philosophers to deny the reality of time and space. It is not the

infinitesimal of time, but the negative of time. By the help of this invention the conception of change, which

sorely exercised the minds of early thinkers, seems to be, but is not really at all explained. The difficulty

arises out of the imperfection of language, and should therefore be no longer regarded as a difficulty at all.

The only way of meeting it, if it exists, is to acknowledge that this rather puzzling double conception is

necessary to the expression of the phenomena of motion or change, and that this and similar double notions,

instead of being anomalies, are among the higher and more potent instruments of human thought.

The processes by which Parmenides obtains his remarkable results may be summed up as follows: (1)

Compound or correlative ideas which involve each other, such as, being and notbeing, one and many, are

conceived sometimes in a state of composition, and sometimes of division: (2) The division or distinction is

sometimes heightened into total opposition, e.g. between one and same, one and other: or (3) The idea, which

has been already divided, is regarded, like a number, as capable of further infinite subdivision: (4) The

argument often proceeds 'a dicto secundum quid ad dictum simpliciter' and conversely: (5) The analogy of

opposites is misused by him; he argues indiscriminately sometimes from what is like, sometimes from what

is unlike in them: (6) The idea of being or notbeing is identified with existence or nonexistence in place or

time: (7) The same ideas are regarded sometimes as in process of transition, sometimes as alternatives or

opposites: (8) There are no degrees or kinds of sameness, likeness, difference, nor any adequate conception of

motion or change: (9) One, being, time, like space in Zeno's puzzle of Achilles and the tortoise, are regarded

sometimes as continuous and sometimes as discrete: (10) In some parts of the argument the abstraction is so

rarefied as to become not only fallacious, but almost unintelligible, e.g. in the contradiction which is elicited

out of the relative terms older and younger: (11) The relation between two terms is regarded under

contradictory aspects, as for example when the existence of the one and the nonexistence of the one are

equally assumed to involve the existence of the many: (12) Words are used through long chains of argument,

sometimes loosely, sometimes with the precision of numbers or of geometrical figures.

The argument is a very curious piece of work, unique in literature. It seems to be an exposition or rather a

'reductio ad absurdum' of the Megarian philosophy, but we are too imperfectly acquainted with this last to

speak with confidence about it. It would be safer to say that it is an indication of the sceptical, hyperlogical

fancies which prevailed among the contemporaries of Socrates. It throws an indistinct light upon Aristotle,

and makes us aware of the debt which the world owes to him or his school. It also bears a resemblance to

some modern speculations, in which an attempt is made to narrow language in such a manner that number

and figure may be made a calculus of thought. It exaggerates one side of logic and forgets the rest. It has the

appearance of a mathematical process; the inventor of it delights, as mathematicians do, in eliciting or

discovering an unexpected result. It also helps to guard us against some fallacies by showing the

In the Parmenides we seem to breathe the spirit of the Megarian philosophy, though we cannot compare the

two in detail. But Plato also goes beyond his Megarian contemporaries; he has split their straws over again,

and admitted more than they would have desired. He is indulging the analytical tendencies of his age, which

can divide but not combine. And he does not stop to inquire whether the distinctions which he makes are

III. The negative series of propositions contains the first conception of the negation of a negation. Two minus

signs in arithmetic or algebra make a plus. Two negatives destroy each other. This abstruse notion is the

foundation of the Hegelian logic. The mind must not only admit that determination is negation, but must get

through negation into affirmation. Whether this process is real, or in any way an assistance to thought, or, like

some other logical forms, a mere figure of speech transferred from the sphere of mathematics, may be

doubted. That Plato and the most subtle philosopher of the nineteenth century should have lighted upon the

IV. The one and the many or others are reduced to their strictest arithmetical meaning. That one is three or

three one, is a proposition which has, perhaps, given rise to more controversy in the world than any other. But

no one has ever meant to say that three and one are to be taken in the same sense. Whereas the one and many

of the Parmenides have precisely the same meaning; there is no notion of one personality or substance having

many attributes or qualities. The truth seems to be rather the opposite of that which Socrates implies: There is

no contradiction in the concrete, but in the abstract; and the more abstract the idea, the more palpable will be

the contradiction. For just as nothing can persuade us that the number one is the number three, so neither can

we be persuaded that any abstract idea is identical with its opposite, although they may both inhere together

in some external object, or some more comprehensive conception. Ideas, persons, things may be one in one

sense and many in another, and may have various degrees of unity and plurality. But in whatever sense and in

whatever degree they are one they cease to be many; and in whatever degree or sense they are many they

Two points remain to be considered: 1st, the connexion between the first and second parts of the dialogue;

I. In both divisions of the dialogue the principal speaker is the same, and the method pursued by him is also

the same, being a criticism on received opinions: first, on the doctrine of Ideas; secondly, of Being. From the

Platonic Ideas we naturally proceed to the Eleatic One or Being which is the foundation of them. They are the

same philosophy in two forms, and the simpler form is the truer and deeper. For the Platonic Ideas are mere

numerical differences, and the moment we attempt to distinguish between them, their transcendental

character is lost; ideas of justice, temperance, and good, are really distinguishable only with reference to their

application in the world. If we once ask how they are related to individuals or to the ideas of the divine mind,

they are again merged in the aboriginal notion of Being. No one can answer the questions which Parmenides

asks of Socrates. And yet these questions are asked with the express acknowledgment that the denial of ideas

will be the destruction of the human mind. The true answer to the difficulty here thrown out is the

establishment of a rational psychology; and this is a work which is commenced in the Sophist. Plato, in

urging the difficulty of his own doctrine of Ideas, is far from denying that some doctrine of Ideas is

In a similar spirit he criticizes the Eleatic doctrine of Being, not intending to deny Ontology, but showing that

the old Eleatic notion, and the very name 'Being,' is unable to maintain itself against the subtleties of the

Megarians. He did not mean to say that Being or Substance had no existence, but he is preparing for the

development of his later view, that ideas were capable of relation. The fact that contradictory consequences

follow from the existence or nonexistence of one or many, does not prove that they have or have not

existence, but rather that some different mode of conceiving them is required. Parmenides may still have

thought that 'Being was,' just as Kant would have asserted the existence of 'things in themselves,' while

Several lesser links also connect the first and second parts of the dialogue: (1) The thesis is the same as that

which Zeno has been already discussing: (2) Parmenides has intimated in the first part, that the method of

Zeno should, as Socrates desired, be extended to Ideas: (3) The difficulty of participating in greatness,

II. The Parmenides is not only a criticism of the Eleatic notion of Being, but also of the methods of reasoning

then in existence, and in this point of view, as well as in the other, may be regarded as an introduction to the

Sophist. Long ago, in the Euthydemus, the vulgar application of the 'both and neither' Eristic had been

subjected to a similar criticism, which there takes the form of banter and irony, here of illustration.

The attack upon the Ideas is resumed in the Philebus, and is followed by a return to a more rational

philosophy. The perplexity of the One and Many is there confined to the region of Ideas, and replaced by a

theory of classification; the Good arranged in classes is also contrasted with the barren abstraction of the

Megarians. The war is carried on against the Eristics in all the later dialogues, sometimes with a playful

irony, at other times with a sort of contempt. But there is no lengthened refutation of them. The Parmenides

belongs to that stage of the dialogues of Plato in which he is partially under their influence, using them as a

sort of 'critics or diviners' of the truth of his own, and of the Eleatic theories. In the Theaetetus a similar

negative dialectic is employed in the attempt to define science, which after every effort remains undefined

still. The same question is revived from the objective side in the Sophist: Being and Notbeing are no longer

exhibited in opposition, but are now reconciled; and the true nature of Notbeing is discovered and made the

basis of the correlation of ideas. Some links are probably missing which might have been supplied if we had

To sum up: the Parmenides of Plato is a critique, first, of the Platonic Ideas, and secondly, of the Eleatic

doctrine of Being. Neither are absolutely denied. But certain difficulties and consequences are shown in the

assumption of either, which prove that the Platonic as well as the Eleatic doctrine must be remodelled. The

negation and contradiction which are involved in the conception of the One and Many are preliminary to their

final adjustment. The Platonic Ideas are tested by the interrogative method of Socrates; the Eleatic One or

Being is tried by the severer and perhaps impossible method of hypothetical consequences, negative and

affirmative. In the latter we have an example of the Zenonian or Megarian dialectic, which proceeded, not 'by

assailing premises, but conclusions'; this is worked out and improved by Plato. When primary abstractions

are used in every conceivable sense, any or every conclusion may be deduced from them. The words 'one,'

'other,' 'being,' 'like,' 'same,' 'whole,' and their opposites, have slightly different meanings, as they are applied

to objects of thought or objects of senseto number, time, place, and to the higher ideas of the reason;and

out of their different meanings this 'feast' of contradictions 'has been provided.'

The Parmenides of Plato belongs to a stage of philosophy which has passed away. At first we read it with a

purely antiquarian or historical interest; and with difficulty throw ourselves back into a state of the human

mind in which Unity and Being occupied the attention of philosophers. We admire the precision of the

language, in which, as in some curious puzzle, each word is exactly fitted into every other, and long trains of

argument are carried out with a sort of geometrical accuracy. We doubt whether any abstract notion could

stand the searching crossexamination of Parmenides; and may at last perhaps arrive at the conclusion that

Plato has been using an imaginary method to work out an unmeaning conclusion. But the truth is, that he is

carrying on a process which is not either useless or unnecessary in any age of philosophy. We fail to

understand him, because we do not realize that the questions which he is discussing could have had any value

or importance. We suppose them to be like the speculations of some of the Schoolmen, which end in nothing.

But in truth he is trying to get rid of the stumblingblocks of thought which beset his contemporaries. Seeing

that the Megarians and Cynics were making knowledge impossible, he takes their 'catchwords' and analyzes

them from every conceivable point of view. He is criticizing the simplest and most general of our ideas, in

which, as they are the most comprehensive, the danger of error is the most serious; for, if they remain

unexamined, as in a mathematical demonstration, all that flows from them is affected, and the error pervades

knowledge far and wide. In the beginning of philosophy this correction of human ideas was even more

necessary than in our own times, because they were more bound up with words; and words when once

presented to the mind exercised a greater power over thought. There is a natural realism which says, 'Can

there be a word devoid of meaning, or an idea which is an idea of nothing?' In modern times mankind have

often given too great importance to a word or idea. The philosophy of the ancients was still more in slavery to

them, because they had not the experience of error, which would have placed them above the illusion.

The method of the Parmenides may be compared with the process of purgation, which Bacon sought to

introduce into philosophy. Plato is warning us against two sorts of 'Idols of the Den': first, his own Ideas,

which he himself having created is unable to connect in any way with the external world; secondly, against

two idols in particular, 'Unity' and 'Being,' which had grown up in the preSocratic philosophy, and were still

standing in the way of all progress and development of thought. He does not say with Bacon, 'Let us make

truth by experiment,' or 'From these vague and inexact notions let us turn to facts.' The time has not yet

arrived for a purely inductive philosophy. The instruments of thought must first be forged, that they may be

used hereafter by modern inquirers. How, while mankind were disputing about universals, could they classify

phenomena? How could they investigate causes, when they had not as yet learned to distinguish between a

cause and an end? How could they make any progress in the sciences without first arranging them? These are

the deficiencies which Plato is seeking to supply in an age when knowledge was a shadow of a name only. In

the earlier dialogues the Socratic conception of universals is illustrated by his genius; in the Phaedrus the

nature of division is explained; in the Republic the law of contradiction and the unity of knowledge are

asserted; in the later dialogues he is constantly engaged both with the theory and practice of classification.

These were the 'new weapons,' as he terms them in the Philebus, which he was preparing for the use of some

who, in after ages, would be found ready enough to disown their obligations to the great master, or rather,

Numberless fallacies, as we are often truly told, have originated in a confusion of the 'copula,' and the 'verb of

existence.' Would not the distinction which Plato by the mouth of Parmenides makes between 'One is one'

and 'One has being' have saved us from this and many similar confusions? We see again that a long period in

the history of philosophy was a barren tract, not uncultivated, but unfruitful, because there was no inquiry

into the relation of language and thought, and the metaphysical imagination was incapable of supplying the

missing link between words and things. The famous dispute between Nominalists and Realists would never

have been heard of, if, instead of transferring the Platonic Ideas into a crude Latin phraseology, the spirit of

Plato had been truly understood and appreciated. Upon the term substance at least two celebrated theological

controversies appear to hinge, which would not have existed, or at least not in their present form, if we had

'interrogated' the word substance, as Plato has the notions of Unity and Being. These weeds of philosophy

have struck their roots deep into the soil, and are always tending to reappear, sometimes in newfangled

forms; while similar words, such as development, evolution, law, and the like, are constantly put in the place

of facts, even by writers who profess to base truth entirely upon fact. In an unmetaphysical age there is

probably more metaphysics in the common sense (i.e. more a priori assumption) than in any other, because

there is more complete unconsciousness that we are resting on our own ideas, while we please ourselves with

the conviction that we are resting on facts. We do not consider how much metaphysics are required to place

us above metaphysics, or how difficult it is to prevent the forms of expression which are ready made for our

In the last century the educated world were astonished to find that the whole fabric of their ideas was falling

to pieces, because Hume amused himself by analyzing the word 'cause' into uniform sequence. Then arose a

philosophy which, equally regardless of the history of the mind, sought to save mankind from scepticism by

assigning to our notions of 'cause and effect,' 'substance and accident,' 'whole and part,' a necessary place in

human thought. Without them we could have no experience, and therefore they were supposed to be prior to

experienceto be incrusted on the 'I'; although in the phraseology of Kant there could be no transcendental

use of them, or, in other words, they were only applicable within the range of our knowledge. But into the

origin of these ideas, which he obtains partly by an analysis of the proposition, partly by development of the

'ego,' he never inquiresthey seem to him to have a necessary existence; nor does he attempt to analyse the

The philosophy of Berkeley could never have had any meaning, even to himself, if he had first analyzed from

every point of view the conception of 'matter.' This poor forgotten word (which was 'a very good word' to

describe the simplest generalization of external objects) is now superseded in the vocabulary of physical

philosophers by 'force,' which seems to be accepted without any rigid examination of its meaning, as if the

general idea of 'force' in our minds furnished an explanation of the infinite variety of forces which exist in the

universe. A similar ambiguity occurs in the use of the favourite word 'law,' which is sometimes regarded as a

mere abstraction, and then elevated into a real power or entity, almost taking the place of God. Theology,

again, is full of undefined terms which have distracted the human mind for ages. Mankind have reasoned

from them, but not to them; they have drawn out the conclusions without proving the premises; they have

asserted the premises without examining the terms. The passions of religious parties have been roused to the

utmost about words of which they could have given no explanation, and which had really no distinct

meaning. One sort of them, faith, grace, justification, have been the symbols of one class of disputes; as the

words substance, nature, person, of another, revelation, inspiration, and the like, of a third. All of them have

been the subject of endless reasonings and inferences; but a spell has hung over the minds of theologians or

philosophers which has prevented them from examining the words themselves. Either the effort to rise above

and beyond their own first ideas was too great for them, or there might, perhaps, have seemed to be an

irreverence in doing so. About the Divine Being Himself, in whom all true theological ideas live and move,

men have spoken and reasoned much, and have fancied that they instinctively know Him. But they hardly

suspect that under the name of God even Christians have included two characters or natures as much opposed

To have the true use of words we must compare them with things; in using them we acknowledge that they

seldom give a perfect representation of our meaning. In like manner when we interrogate our ideas we find

that we are not using them always in the sense which we supposed. And Plato, while he criticizes the

inconsistency of his own doctrine of universals and draws out the endless consequences which flow from the

assertion either that 'Being is' or that 'Being is not,' by no means intends to deny the existence of universals or

the unity under which they are comprehended. There is nothing further from his thoughts than scepticism.

But before proceeding he must examine the foundations which he and others have been laying; there is

nothing true which is not from some point of view untrue, nothing absolute which is not also relative

And so, in modern times, because we are called upon to analyze our ideas and to come to a distinct

understanding about the meaning of words; because we know that the powers of language are very unequal to

the subtlety of nature or of mind, we do not therefore renounce the use of them; but we replace them in their

old connexion, having first tested their meaning and quality, and having corrected the error which is involved

in them; or rather always remembering to make allowance for the adulteration or alloy which they contain.

We cannot call a new metaphysical world into existence any more than we can frame a new universal

language; in thought as in speech, we are dependent on the past. We know that the words 'cause' and 'effect'

are very far from representing to us the continuity or the complexity of nature or the different modes or

degrees in which phenomena are connected. Yet we accept them as the best expression which we have of the

correlation of forces or objects. We see that the term 'law' is a mere abstraction, under which laws of matter

and of mind, the law of nature and the law of the land are included, and some of these uses of the word are

confusing, because they introduce into one sphere of thought associations which belong to another; for

example, order or sequence is apt to be confounded with external compulsion and the internal workings of the

mind with their material antecedents. Yet none of them can be dispensed with; we can only be on our guard

against the error or confusion which arises out of them. Thus in the use of the word 'substance' we are far

from supposing that there is any mysterious substratum apart from the objects which we see, and we

acknowledge that the negative notion is very likely to become a positive one. Still we retain the word as a

convenient generalization, though not without a double sense, substance, and essence, derived from the

So the human mind makes the reflection that God is not a person like ourselvesis not a cause like the

material causes in nature, nor even an intelligent cause like a human agentnor an individual, for He is

universal; and that every possible conception which we can form of Him is limited by the human faculties.

We cannot by any effort of thought or exertion of faith be in and out of our own minds at the same instant.

How can we conceive Him under the forms of time and space, who is out of time and space? How get rid of

such forms and see Him as He is? How can we imagine His relation to the world or to ourselves?

Innumerable contradictions follow from either of the two alternatives, that God is or that He is not. Yet we

are far from saying that we know nothing of Him, because all that we know is subject to the conditions of

human thought. To the old belief in Him we return, but with corrections. He is a person, but not like

ourselves; a mind, but not a human mind; a cause, but not a material cause, nor yet a maker or artificer. The

words which we use are imperfect expressions of His true nature; but we do not therefore lose faith in what is

'A little philosophy takes us away from God; a great deal brings us back to Him.' When we begin to reflect,

our first thoughts respecting Him and ourselves are apt to be sceptical. For we can analyze our religious as

well as our other ideas; we can trace their history; we can criticize their perversion; we see that they are

relative to the human mind and to one another. But when we have carried our criticism to the furthest point,

they still remain, a necessity of our moral nature, better known and understood by us, and less liable to be

shaken, because we are more aware of their necessary imperfection. They come to us with 'better opinion,

better confirmation,' not merely as the inspirations either of ourselves or of another, but deeply rooted in

PERSONS OF THE DIALOGUE: Cephalus, Adeimantus, Glaucon, Antiphon, Pythodorus, Socrates, Zeno,

Cephalus rehearses a dialogue which is supposed to have been narrated in his presence by Antiphon, the

We had come from our home at Clazomenae to Athens, and met Adeimantus and Glaucon in the Agora.

Welcome, Cephalus, said Adeimantus, taking me by the hand; is there anything which we can do for you in

I want you to tell me the name of your half brother, which I have forgotten; he was a mere child when I last

came hither from Clazomenae, but that was a long time ago; his father's name, if I remember rightly, was

Let me introduce some countrymen of mine, I said; they are lovers of philosophy, and have heard that

Antiphon was intimate with a certain Pythodorus, a friend of Zeno, and remembers a conversation which took

place between Socrates, Zeno, and Parmenides many years ago, Pythodorus having often recited it to him.

Nothing easier, he replied; when he was a youth he made a careful study of the piece; at present his thoughts

run in another direction; like his grandfather Antiphon he is devoted to horses. But, if that is what you want,

let us go and look for him; he dwells at Melita, which is quite near, and he has only just left us to go home.

Accordingly we went to look for him; he was at home, and in the act of giving a bridle to a smith to be fitted.

When he had done with the smith, his brothers told him the purpose of our visit; and he saluted me as an

acquaintance whom he remembered from my former visit, and we asked him to repeat the dialogue. At first

he was not very willing, and complained of the trouble, but at length he consented. He told us that Pythodorus

had described to him the appearance of Parmenides and Zeno; they came to Athens, as he said, at the great

Panathenaea; the former was, at the time of his visit, about 65 years old, very white with age, but well

favoured. Zeno was nearly 40 years of age, tall and fair to look upon; in the days of his youth he was reported

to have been beloved by Parmenides. He said that they lodged with Pythodorus in the Ceramicus, outside the

wall, whither Socrates, then a very young man, came to see them, and many others with him; they wanted to

hear the writings of Zeno, which had been brought to Athens for the first time on the occasion of their visit.

These Zeno himself read to them in the absence of Parmenides, and had very nearly finished when

Pythodorus entered, and with him Parmenides and Aristoteles who was afterwards one of the Thirty, and

heard the little that remained of the dialogue. Pythodorus had heard Zeno repeat them before.

When the recitation was completed, Socrates requested that the first thesis of the first argument might be read

over again, and this having been done, he said: What is your meaning, Zeno? Do you maintain that if being is

many, it must be both like and unlike, and that this is impossible, for neither can the like be unlike, nor the

And if the unlike cannot be like, or the like unlike, then according to you, being could not be many; for this

would involve an impossibility. In all that you say have you any other purpose except to disprove the being of

the many? and is not each division of your treatise intended to furnish a separate proof of this, there being in

all as many proofs of the notbeing of the many as you have composed arguments? Is that your meaning, or

I see, Parmenides, said Socrates, that Zeno would like to be not only one with you in friendship but your

second self in his writings too; he puts what you say in another way, and would fain make believe that he is

telling us something which is new. For you, in your poems, say The All is one, and of this you adduce

excellent proofs; and he on the other hand says There is no many; and on behalf of this he offers

overwhelming evidence. You affirm unity, he denies plurality. And so you deceive the world into believing

that you are saying different things when really you are saying much the same. This is a strain of art beyond

Yes, Socrates, said Zeno. But although you are as keen as a Spartan hound in pursuing the track, you do not

fully apprehend the true motive of the composition, which is not really such an artificial work as you

imagine; for what you speak of was an accident; there was no pretence of a great purpose; nor any serious

intention of deceiving the world. The truth is, that these writings of mine were meant to protect the arguments

of Parmenides against those who make fun of him and seek to show the many ridiculous and contradictory

results which they suppose to follow from the affirmation of the one. My answer is addressed to the partisans

of the many, whose attack I return with interest by retorting upon them that their hypothesis of the being of

many, if carried out, appears to be still more ridiculous than the hypothesis of the being of one. Zeal for my

master led me to write the book in the days of my youth, but some one stole the copy; and therefore I had no

choice whether it should be published or not; the motive, however, of writing, was not the ambition of an

elder man, but the pugnacity of a young one. This you do not seem to see, Socrates; though in other respects,

I understand, said Socrates, and quite accept your account. But tell me, Zeno, do you not further think that

there is an idea of likeness in itself, and another idea of unlikeness, which is the opposite of likeness, and that

in these two, you and I and all other things to which we apply the term many, participatethings which

participate in likeness become in that degree and manner like; and so far as they participate in unlikeness

become in that degree unlike, or both like and unlike in the degree in which they participate in both? And

may not all things partake of both opposites, and be both like and unlike, by reason of this

participation?Where is the wonder? Now if a person could prove the absolute like to become unlike, or the

absolute unlike to become like, that, in my opinion, would indeed be a wonder; but there is nothing

extraordinary, Zeno, in showing that the things which only partake of likeness and unlikeness experience

both. Nor, again, if a person were to show that all is one by partaking of one, and at the same time many by

partaking of many, would that be very astonishing. But if he were to show me that the absolute one was

many, or the absolute many one, I should be truly amazed. And so of all the rest: I should be surprised to hear

that the natures or ideas themselves had these opposite qualities; but not if a person wanted to prove of me

that I was many and also one. When he wanted to show that I was many he would say that I have a right and

a left side, and a front and a back, and an upper and a lower half, for I cannot deny that I partake of multitude;

when, on the other hand, he wants to prove that I am one, he will say, that we who are here assembled are

seven, and that I am one and partake of the one. In both instances he proves his case. So again, if a person

shows that such things as wood, stones, and the like, being many are also one, we admit that he shows the

coexistence of the one and many, but he does not show that the many are one or the one many; he is uttering

not a paradox but a truism. If however, as I just now suggested, some one were to abstract simple notions of

like, unlike, one, many, rest, motion, and similar ideas, and then to show that these admit of admixture and

separation in themselves, I should be very much astonished. This part of the argument appears to be treated

by you, Zeno, in a very spirited manner; but, as I was saying, I should be far more amazed if any one found in

the ideas themselves which are apprehended by reason, the same puzzle and entanglement which you have

While Socrates was speaking, Pythodorus thought that Parmenides and Zeno were not altogether pleased at

the successive steps of the argument; but still they gave the closest attention, and often looked at one another,

and smiled as if in admiration of him. When he had finished, Parmenides expressed their feelings in the

Socrates, he said, I admire the bent of your mind towards philosophy; tell me now, was this your own

distinction between ideas in themselves and the things which partake of them? and do you think that there is

an idea of likeness apart from the likeness which we possess, and of the one and many, and of the other things

Parmenides proceeded: And would you also make absolute ideas of the just and the beautiful and the good,

And would you make an idea of man apart from us and from all other human creatures, or of fire and water?

And would you feel equally undecided, Socrates, about things of which the mention may provoke a

smile?I mean such things as hair, mud, dirt, or anything else which is vile and paltry; would you suppose

that each of these has an idea distinct from the actual objects with which we come into contact, or not?

Certainly not, said Socrates; visible things like these are such as they appear to us, and I am afraid that there

would be an absurdity in assuming any idea of them, although I sometimes get disturbed, and begin to think

that there is nothing without an idea; but then again, when I have taken up this position, I run away, because I

am afraid that I may fall into a bottomless pit of nonsense, and perish; and so I return to the ideas of which I

Yes, Socrates, said Parmenides; that is because you are still young; the time will come, if I am not mistaken,

when philosophy will have a firmer grasp of you, and then you will not despise even the meanest things; at

your age, you are too much disposed to regard the opinions of men. But I should like to know whether you

mean that there are certain ideas of which all other things partake, and from which they derive their names;

that similars, for example, become similar, because they partake of similarity; and great things become great,

because they partake of greatness; and that just and beautiful things become just and beautiful, because they

Then each individual partakes either of the whole of the idea or else of a part of the idea? Can there be any

Then do you think that the whole idea is one, and yet, being one, is in each one of the many?

Because one and the same thing will exist as a whole at the same time in many separate individuals, and will

Nay, but the idea may be like the day which is one and the same in many places at once, and yet continuous

with itself; in this way each idea may be one and the same in all at the same time.

I like your way, Socrates, of making one in many places at once. You mean to say, that if I were to spread out

a sail and cover a number of men, there would be one whole including manyis not that your meaning?

And would you say that the whole sail includes each man, or a part of it only, and different parts different

Then, Socrates, the ideas themselves will be divisible, and things which participate in them will have a part of

Then would you like to say, Socrates, that the one idea is really divisible and yet remains one?

Suppose that you divide absolute greatness, and that of the many great things, each one is great in virtue of a

Or will each equal thing, if possessing some small portion of equality less than absolute equality, be equal to

Or suppose one of us to have a portion of smallness; this is but a part of the small, and therefore the

absolutely small is greater; if the absolutely small be greater, that to which the part of the small is added will

Then in what way, Socrates, will all things participate in the ideas, if they are unable to participate in them

I imagine that the way in which you are led to assume one idea of each kind is as follows:You see a

number of great objects, and when you look at them there seems to you to be one and the same idea (or

And if you go on and allow your mind in like manner to embrace in one view the idea of greatness and of

great things which are not the idea, and to compare them, will not another greatness arise, which will appear

Then another idea of greatness now comes into view over and above absolute greatness, and the individuals

which partake of it; and then another, over and above all these, by virtue of which they will all be great, and

But may not the ideas, asked Socrates, be thoughts only, and have no proper existence except in our minds,

Parmenides? For in that case each idea may still be one, and not experience this infinite multiplication.

Must it not be of a single something, which the thought recognizes as attaching to all, being a single form or

And will not the something which is apprehended as one and the same in all, be an idea?

Then, said Parmenides, if you say that everything else participates in the ideas, must you not say either that

everything is made up of thoughts, and that all things think; or that they are thoughts but have no thought?

The latter view, Parmenides, is no more rational than the previous one. In my opinion, the ideas are, as it

were, patterns fixed in nature, and other things are like them, and resemblances of themwhat is meant by

But if, said he, the individual is like the idea, must not the idea also be like the individual, in so far as the

individual is a resemblance of the idea? That which is like, cannot be conceived of as other than the like of

And will not that of which the two partake, and which makes them alike, be the idea itself?

Then the idea cannot be like the individual, or the individual like the idea; for if they are alike, some further

idea of likeness will always be coming to light, and if that be like anything else, another; and new ideas will

The theory, then, that other things participate in the ideas by resemblance, has to be given up, and some other

Do you see then, Socrates, how great is the difficulty of affirming the ideas to be absolute?

And, further, let me say that as yet you only understand a small part of the difficulty which is involved if you

There are many, but the greatest of all is this:If an opponent argues that these ideas, being such as we say

they ought to be, must remain unknown, no one can prove to him that he is wrong, unless he who denies their

existence be a man of great ability and knowledge, and is willing to follow a long and laborious

demonstration; he will remain unconvinced, and still insist that they cannot be known.

In the first place, I think, Socrates, that you, or any one who maintains the existence of absolute essences, will

True, he said; and therefore when ideas are what they are in relation to one another, their essence is

determined by a relation among themselves, and has nothing to do with the resemblances, or whatever they

are to be termed, which are in our sphere, and from which we receive this or that name when we partake of

them. And the things which are within our sphere and have the same names with them, are likewise only

relative to one another, and not to the ideas which have the same names with them, but belong to themselves

I may illustrate my meaning in this way, said Parmenides:A master has a slave; now there is nothing

absolute in the relation between them, which is simply a relation of one man to another. But there is also an

idea of mastership in the abstract, which is relative to the idea of slavery in the abstract. These natures have

nothing to do with us, nor we with them; they are concerned with themselves only, and we with ourselves. Do

But the knowledge which we have, will answer to the truth which we have; and again, each kind of

knowledge which we have, will be a knowledge of each kind of being which we have?

And the absolute natures or kinds are known severally by the absolute idea of knowledge?

Then none of the ideas are known to us, because we have no share in absolute knowledge?

Then the nature of the beautiful in itself, and of the good in itself, and all other ideas which we suppose to

Would you, or would you not say, that absolute knowledge, if there is such a thing, must be a far more exact

And if there be such a thing as participation in absolute knowledge, no one is more likely than God to have

But then, will God, having absolute knowledge, have a knowledge of human things?

Because, Socrates, said Parmenides, we have admitted that the ideas are not valid in relation to human things;

nor human things in relation to them; the relations of either are limited to their respective spheres.

And if God has this perfect authority, and perfect knowledge, his authority cannot rule us, nor his knowledge

know us, or any human thing; just as our authority does not extend to the gods, nor our knowledge know

anything which is divine, so by parity of reason they, being gods, are not our masters, neither do they know

These, Socrates, said Parmenides, are a few, and only a few of the difficulties in which we are involved if

ideas really are and we determine each one of them to be an absolute unity. He who hears what may be said

against them will deny the very existence of themand even if they do exist, he will say that they must of

necessity be unknown to man; and he will seem to have reason on his side, and as we were remarking just

now, will be very difficult to convince; a man must be gifted with very considerable ability before he can

learn that everything has a class and an absolute essence; and still more remarkable will he be who discovers

all these things for himself, and having thoroughly investigated them is able to teach them to others.

I agree with you, Parmenides, said Socrates; and what you say is very much to my mind.

And yet, Socrates, said Parmenides, if a man, fixing his attention on these and the like difficulties, does away

with ideas of things and will not admit that every individual thing has its own determinate idea which is

always one and the same, he will have nothing on which his mind can rest; and so he will utterly destroy the

But, then, what is to become of philosophy? Whither shall we turn, if the ideas are unknown?

Yes, said Parmenides; and I think that this arises, Socrates, out of your attempting to define the beautiful, the

just, the good, and the ideas generally, without sufficient previous training. I noticed your deficiency, when I

heard you talking here with your friend Aristoteles, the day before yesterday. The impulse that carries you

towards philosophy is assuredly noble and divine; but there is an art which is called by the vulgar idle talking,

and which is often imagined to be useless; in that you must train and exercise yourself, now that you are

That which you heard Zeno practising; at the same time, I give you credit for saying to him that you did not

care to examine the perplexity in reference to visible things, or to consider the question that way; but only in

Why, yes, he said, there appears to me to be no difficulty in showing by this method that visible things are

Quite true, said Parmenides; but I think that you should go a step further, and consider not only the

consequences which flow from a given hypothesis, but also the consequences which flow from denying the

I mean, for example, that in the case of this very hypothesis of Zeno's about the many, you should inquire not

only what will be the consequences to the many in relation to themselves and to the one, and to the one in

relation to itself and the many, on the hypothesis of the being of the many, but also what will be the

consequences to the one and the many in their relation to themselves and to each other, on the opposite

hypothesis. Or, again, if likeness is or is not, what will be the consequences in either of these cases to the

subjects of the hypothesis, and to other things, in relation both to themselves and to one another, and so of

unlikeness; and the same holds good of motion and rest, of generation and destruction, and even of being and

notbeing. In a word, when you suppose anything to be or not to be, or to be in any way affected, you must

look at the consequences in relation to the thing itself, and to any other things which you choose,to each of

them singly, to more than one, and to all; and so of other things, you must look at them in relation to

themselves and to anything else which you suppose either to be or not to be, if you would train yourself

That, Parmenides, is a tremendous business of which you speak, and I do not quite understand you; will you

take some hypothesis and go through the steps?then I shall apprehend you better.

Zeno answered with a smile:Let us make our petition to Parmenides himself, who is quite right in saying

that you are hardly aware of the extent of the task which you are imposing on him; and if there were more of

us I should not ask him, for these are not subjects which any one, especially at his age, can well speak of

before a large audience; most people are not aware that this roundabout progress through all things is the only

way in which the mind can attain truth and wisdom. And therefore, Parmenides, I join in the request of

Socrates, that I may hear the process again which I have not heard for a long time.

When Zeno had thus spoken, Pythodorus, according to Antiphon's report of him, said, that he himself and

Aristoteles and the whole company entreated Parmenides to give an example of the process. I cannot refuse,

said Parmenides; and yet I feel rather like Ibycus, who, when in his old age, against his will, he fell in love,

compared himself to an old racehorse, who was about to run in a chariot race, shaking with fear at the course

he knew so wellthis was his simile of himself. And I also experience a trembling when I remember

through what an ocean of words I have to wade at my time of life. But I must indulge you, as Zeno says that I

ought, and we are alone. Where shall I begin? And what shall be our first hypothesis, if I am to attempt this

laborious pastime? Shall I begin with myself, and take my own hypothesis the one? and consider the

consequences which follow on the supposition either of the being or of the notbeing of one?

And who will answer me? he said. Shall I propose the youngest? He will not make difficulties and will be the

most likely to say what he thinks; and his answers will give me time to breathe.

I am the one whom you mean, Parmenides, said Aristoteles; for I am the youngest and at your service. Ask,

Then, in either case, the one would be made up of parts; both as being a whole, and also as having parts?

Then, if the one is to remain one, it will not be a whole, and will not have parts?

But if it has no parts, it will have neither beginning, middle, nor end; for these would of course be parts of it.

Why, because the round is that of which all the extreme points are equidistant from the centre?

And the straight is that of which the centre intercepts the view of the extremes?

Then the one would have parts and would be many, if it partook either of a straight or of a circular form?

And, being of such a nature, it cannot be in any place, for it cannot be either in another or in itself.

Because if it were in another, it would be encircled by that in which it was, and would touch it at many places

and with many parts; but that which is one and indivisible, and does not partake of a circular nature, cannot

But if, on the other hand, one were in itself, it would also be contained by nothing else but itself; that is to

say, if it were really in itself; for nothing can be in anything which does not contain it.

But then, that which contains must be other than that which is contained? for the same whole cannot do and

Further consider, whether that which is of such a nature can have either rest or motion.

Why, because the one, if it were moved, would be either moved in place or changed in nature; for these are

But if the one moved in place, must it not either move round and round in the same place, or from one place

And that which moves in a circle must rest upon a centre; and that which goes round upon a centre must have

parts which are different from the centre; but that which has no centre and no parts cannot possibly be carried

Why, because anything which comes into being in anything, can neither as yet be in that other thing while

still coming into being, nor be altogether out of it, if already coming into being in it.

And therefore whatever comes into being in another must have parts, and then one part may be in, and

another part out of that other; but that which has no parts can never be at one and the same time neither

And is there not a still greater impossibility in that which has no parts, and is not a whole, coming into being

Then it does not change place by revolving in the same spot, nor by going somewhere and coming into being

Neither will it be the same with itself or other; nor again, other than itself or other.

And if the same with other, it would be that other, and not itself; so that upon this supposition too, it would

Neither will it be other than other, while it remains one; for not one, but only other, can be other than other,

But if not by virtue of being one, not by virtue of itself; and if not by virtue of itself, not itself, and itself not

Anything which becomes the same with the many, necessarily becomes many and not one.

But, if there were no difference between the one and the same, when a thing became the same, it would

And, therefore, if one be the same with itself, it is not one with itself, and will therefore be one and also not

And therefore the one can neither be other than other, nor the same with itself.

And thus the one can neither be the same, nor other, either in relation to itself or other?

But if the one had any other affection than that of being one, it would be affected in such a way as to be more

Then the one can never be so affected as to be the same either with another or with itself?

Nor can it be affected so as to be other, for then it would be affected in such a way as to be more than one.

That which is affected otherwise than itself or another, will be unlike itself or another, for sameness of

But the one, as appears, never being affected otherwise, is never unlike itself or other?

Again, being of this nature, it can neither be equal nor unequal either to itself or to other.

Why, because the one if equal must be of the same measures as that to which it is equal.

And if greater or less than things which are commensurable with it, the one will have more measures than

And so of things which are not commensurate with it, the one will have greater measures than that which is

But how can that which does not partake of sameness, have either the same measures or have anything else

And not having the same measures, the one cannot be equal either with itself or with another?

But again, whether it have fewer or more measures, it will have as many parts as it has measures; and thus

And if it were of one measure, it would be equal to that measure; yet it has been shown to be incapable of

Then it will neither partake of one measure, nor of many, nor of few, nor of the same at all, nor be equal to

Well, and do we suppose that one can be older, or younger than anything, or of the same age with it?

Why, because that which is of the same age with itself or other, must partake of equality or likeness of time;

How then can one, being of this nature, be either older or younger than anything, or have the same age with

Then one cannot be older or younger, or of the same age, either with itself or with another?

Then the one, being of this nature, cannot be in time at all; for must not that which is in time, be always

Then, that which becomes older than itself, also becomes at the same time younger than itself, if it is to have

I mean this:A thing does not need to become different from another thing which is already different; it IS

different, and if its different has become, it has become different; if its different will be, it will be different;

but of that which is becoming different, there cannot have been, or be about to be, or yet be, a differentthe

But, surely, the elder is a difference relative to the younger, and to nothing else.

Then that which becomes older than itself must also, at the same time, become younger than itself?

But again, it is true that it cannot become for a longer or for a shorter time than itself, but it must become, and

Then things which are in time, and partake of time, must in every case, I suppose, be of the same age with

Well, but do not the expressions 'was,' and 'has become,' and 'was becoming,' signify a participation of past

And do not 'will be,' 'will become,' 'will have become,' signify a participation of future time?

And if the one is absolutely without participation in time, it never had become, or was becoming, or was at

any time, or is now become or is becoming, or is, or will become, or will have become, or will be, hereafter.

Then the one does not exist in such way as to be one; for if it were and partook of being, it would already be;

Then there is no name, nor expression, nor perception, nor opinion, nor knowledge of it?

Then it is neither named, nor expressed, nor opined, nor known, nor does anything that is perceive it.

1.b. Suppose, now, that we return once more to the original hypothesis; let us see whether, on a further

We say that we have to work out together all the consequences, whatever they may be, which follow, if the

Then we will begin at the beginning:If one is, can one be, and not partake of being?

Then the one will have being, but its being will not be the same with the one; for if the same, it would not be

the being of the one; nor would the one have participated in being, for the proposition that one is would have

been identical with the proposition that one is one; but our hypothesis is not if one is one, what will follow,

And when we put them together shortly, and say 'One is,' that is equivalent to saying, 'partakes of being'?

Once more then let us ask, if one is what will follow. Does not this hypothesis necessarily imply that one is of

In this way:If being is predicated of the one, if the one is, and one of being, if being is one; and if being

and one are not the same; and since the one, which we have assumed, is, must not the whole, if it is one, itself

And is each of these partsone and beingto be simply called a part, or must the word 'part' be relative to

Again, of the parts of the one, if it isI mean being and onedoes either fail to imply the other? is the one

Thus, each of the parts also has in turn both one and being, and is at the least made up of two parts; and the

same principle goes on for ever, and every part whatever has always these two parts; for being always

involves one, and one being; so that one is always disappearing, and becoming two.

But now, let us abstract the one which, as we say, partakes of being, and try to imagine it apart from that of

Let us see:Must not the being of one be other than one? for the one is not being, but, considered as one,

If being and the one be two different things, it is not because the one is one that it is other than being; nor

because being is being that it is other than the one; but they differ from one another in virtue of otherness and

And therefore whether we take being and the other, or being and the one, or the one and the other, in every

And if I speak of being and the other, or of the one and the other,in any such case do I not speak of both?

Then, if the individuals of the pair are together two, they must be severally one?

And if each of them is one, then by the addition of any one to any pair, the whole becomes three?

And if there are two there must also be twice, and if there are three there must be thrice; that is, if twice one

There are two, and twice, and therefore there must be twice two; and there are three, and there is thrice, and

If there are three and twice, there is twice three; and if there are two and thrice, there is thrice two?

Here, then, we have even taken even times, and odd taken odd times, and even taken odd times, and odd

But if there is number, there must also be many, and infinite multiplicity of being; for number is infinite in

And if all number participates in being, every part of number will also participate?

Then being is distributed over the whole multitude of things, and nothing that is, however small or however

great, is devoid of it? And, indeed, the very supposition of this is absurd, for how can that which is, be devoid

And it is divided into the greatest and into the smallest, and into being of all sizes, and is broken up more than

Then the one attaches to every single part of being, and does not fail in any part, whether great or small, or

And if not in its entirety, then it is divided; for it cannot be present with all the parts of being, unless divided.

Then we were wrong in saying just now, that being was distributed into the greatest number of parts. For it is

not distributed into parts more than the one, into parts equal to the one; the one is never wanting to being, or

The one itself, then, having been broken up into parts by being, is many and infinite?

Then not only the one which has being is many, but the one itself distributed by being, must also be many?

Further, inasmuch as the parts are parts of a whole, the one, as a whole, will be limited; for are not the parts

Then the one if it has being is one and many, whole and parts, having limits and yet unlimited in number?

And if a whole, having beginning and middle and end. For can anything be a whole without these three? And

But, again, the middle will be equidistant from the extremes; or it would not be in the middle?

Then the one will partake of figure, either rectilinear or round, or a union of the two?

But if all the parts are in the whole, and the one is all of them and the whole, and they are all contained by the

whole, the one will be contained by the one; and thus the one will be in itself.

But then, again, the whole is not in the partsneither in all the parts, nor in some one of them. For if it is in

all, it must be in one; for if there were any one in which it was not, it could not be in all the parts; for the part

in which it is wanting is one of all, and if the whole is not in this, how can it be in them all?

Nor can the whole be in some of the parts; for if the whole were in some of the parts, the greater would be in

But if the whole is neither in one, nor in more than one, nor in all of the parts, it must be in something else, or

If it were nowhere, it would be nothing; but being a whole, and not being in itself, it must be in another.

The one then, regarded as a whole, is in another, but regarded as being all its parts, is in itself; and therefore

The one is at rest since it is in itself, for being in one, and not passing out of this, it is in the same, which is

Well, and must not that, on the contrary, which is ever in other, never be in the same; and if never in the

Then the one being always itself in itself and other, must always be both at rest and in motion?

And must be the same with itself, and other than itself; and also the same with the others, and other than the

Everything in relation to every other thing, is either the same or other; or if neither the same nor other, then in

Since it is not a part in relation to itself it cannot be related to itself as whole to part?

If then it be neither other, nor a whole, nor a part in relation to itself, must it not be the same with itself?

But then, again, a thing which is in another place from 'itself,' if this 'itself' remains in the same place with

Well, then, if anything be other than anything, will it not be other than that which is other?

And will not all things that are not one, be other than the one, and the one other than the notone?

But, consider:Are not the absolute same, and the absolute other, opposites to one another?

If then the other is never in the same, there is nothing in which the other is during any space of time; for

during that space of time, however small, the other would be in the same. Is not that true?

Then not by reason of otherness is the one other than the notone, or the notone other than the one.

Nor by reason of themselves will they be other than one another, if not partaking of the other.

But if they are not other, either by reason of themselves or of the other, will they not altogether escape being

Again, the notone cannot partake of the one; otherwise it would not have been notone, but would have

Nor can the notone be number; for having number, it would not have been notone at all.

Again, is the notone part of the one; or rather, would it not in that case partake of the one?

If then, in every point of view, the one and the notone are distinct, then neither is the one part or whole of

But we said that things which are neither parts nor wholes of one another, nor other than one another, will be

Then shall we say that the one, being in this relation to the notone, is the same with it?

Then it is the same with itself and the others, and also other than itself and the others.

Since the one was shown to be other than the others, the others will also be other than the one.

And the one is other than the others in the same degree that the others are other than it, and neither more nor

In virtue of the affection by which the one is other than others and others in like manner other than it, the one

And when you say it once, you mention that of which it is the name? and when more than once, is it

something else which you mention? or must it always be the same thing of which you speak, whether you

Whenever, then, you use the word 'other,' whether once or oftener, you name that of which it is the name, and

Then when we say that the others are other than the one, and the one other than the others, in repeating the

word 'other' we speak of that nature to which the name is applied, and of no other?

Then the one which is other than others, and the other which is other than the one, in that the word 'other' is

applied to both, will be in the same condition; and that which is in the same condition is like?

Then in virtue of the affection by which the one is other than the others, every thing will be like every thing,

And to be the same with the others is the opposite of being other than the others?

But in that it was the same it will be unlike by virtue of the opposite affection to that which made it like; and

The same then will make it unlike; otherwise it will not be the opposite of the other.

Then the one will be both like and unlike the others; like in so far as it is other, and unlike in so far as it is the

In so far as it is affected in the same way it is not affected otherwise, and not being affected otherwise is not

unlike, and not being unlike, is like; but in so far as it is affected by other it is otherwise, and being otherwise

Then because the one is the same with the others and other than the others, on either of these two grounds, or

And in the same way as being other than itself and the same with itself, on either of these two grounds and on

In so far as it is in other things it would touch other things, but in so far as it is in itself it would be debarred

But what do you say to a new point of view? Must not that which is to touch another be next to that which it

is to touch, and occupy the place nearest to that in which what it touches is situated?

Then the one, if it is to touch itself, ought to be situated next to itself, and occupy the place next to that in

And that would require that the one should be two, and be in two places at once, and this, while it is one, will

The reason is, that whatever is to touch another must be in separation from, and next to, that which it is to

And if to the two a third be added in due order, the number of terms will be three, and the contacts two?

And every additional term makes one additional contact, whence it follows that the contacts are one less in

number than the terms; the first two terms exceeded the number of contacts by one, and the whole number of

terms exceeds the whole number of contacts by one in like manner; and for every one which is afterwards

And do we not say that the others being other than the one are not one and have no part in the one?

Then the others are neither one nor two, nor are they called by the name of any number?

Then neither does the one touch the others, nor the others the one, if there is no contact?

If the one were greater or less than the others, or the others greater or less than the one, they would not be

greater or less than each other in virtue of their being the one and the others; but, if in addition to their being

what they are they had equality, they would be equal to one another, or if the one had smallness and the

others greatness, or the one had greatness and the others smallnesswhichever kind had greatness would be

Then there are two such ideas as greatness and smallness; for if they were not they could not be opposed to

If, then, smallness is present in the one it will be present either in the whole or in a part of the whole?

Suppose the first; it will be either coequal and coextensive with the whole one, or will contain the one?

If it be coextensive with the one it will be coequal with the one, or if containing the one it will be greater

But can smallness be equal to anything or greater than anything, and have the functions of greatness and

And surely not in all of a part, for then the difficulty of the whole will recur; it will be equal to or greater than

Then smallness will not be in anything, whether in a whole or in a part; nor will there be anything small but

Neither will greatness be in the one, for if greatness be in anything there will be something greater other and

besides greatness itself, namely, that in which greatness is; and this too when the small itself is not there,

which the one, if it is great, must exceed; this, however, is impossible, seeing that smallness is wholly absent.

But absolute greatness is only greater than absolute smallness, and smallness is only smaller than absolute

Then other things not greater or less than the one, if they have neither greatness nor smallness; nor have

greatness or smallness any power of exceeding or being exceeded in relation to the one, but only in relation to

one another; nor will the one be greater or less than them or others, if it has neither greatness nor smallness.

Then if the one is neither greater nor less than the others, it cannot either exceed or be exceeded by them?

And that which neither exceeds nor is exceeded, must be on an equality; and being on an equality, must be

And this will be true also of the relation of the one to itself; having neither greatness nor smallness in itself, it

will neither exceed nor be exceeded by itself, but will be on an equality with and equal to itself.

And yet the one, being itself in itself, will also surround and be without itself; and, as containing itself, will

be greater than itself; and, as contained in itself, will be less; and will thus be greater and less than itself.

Now there cannot possibly be anything which is not included in the one and the others?

But that which is in anything will be less, and that in which it is will be greater; in no other way can one thing

And since there is nothing other or besides the one and the others, and they must be in something, must they

not be in one another, the one in the others and the others in the one, if they are to be anywhere?

But inasmuch as the one is in the others, the others will be greater than the one, because they contain the one,

which will be less than the others, because it is contained in them; and inasmuch as the others are in the one,

the one on the same principle will be greater than the others, and the others less than the one.

The one, then, will be equal to and greater and less than itself and the others?

And if it be greater and less and equal, it will be of equal and more and less measures or divisions than itself

And if of equal and more and less measures or divisions, it will be in number more or less than itself and the

It will be of more measures than those things which it exceeds, and of as many parts as measures; and so with

And being greater and less than itself, and equal to itself, it will be of equal measures with itself and of more

And being of equal parts with itself, it will be numerically equal to itself; and being of more parts, more, and

And the same will hold of its relation to other things; inasmuch as it is greater than them, it will be more in

number than them; and inasmuch as it is smaller, it will be less in number; and inasmuch as it is equal in size

Once more, then, as would appear, the one will be in number both equal to and more and less than both itself

Does the one also partake of time? And is it and does it become older and younger than itself and others, and

again, neither younger nor older than itself and others, by virtue of participation in time?

But to be (einai) is only participation of being in present time, and to have been is the participation of being at

a past time, and to be about to be is the participation of being at a future time?

Then the one is always becoming older than itself, since it moves forward in time?

And do you remember that the older becomes older than that which becomes younger?

Then since the one becomes older than itself, it becomes younger at the same time?

And it is older (is it not?) when in becoming, it gets to the point of time between 'was' and 'will be,' which is

'now': for surely in going from the past to the future, it cannot skip the present?

And when it arrives at the present it stops from becoming older, and no longer becomes, but is older, for if it

went on it would never be reached by the present, for it is the nature of that which goes on, to touch both the

present and the future, letting go the present and seizing the future, while in process of becoming between

But that which is becoming cannot skip the present; when it reaches the present it ceases to become, and is

And so the one, when in becoming older it reaches the present, ceases to become, and is then older.

And it is older than that than which it was becoming older, and it was becoming older than itself.

Then the one is younger than itself, when in becoming older it reaches the present?

But the present is always present with the one during all its being; for whenever it is it is always now.

And is it or does it become a longer time than itself or an equal time with itself?

But if it becomes or is for an equal time with itself, it is of the same age with itself?

The one, then, becoming and being the same time with itself, neither is nor becomes older or younger than

And what are its relations to other things? Is it or does it become older or younger than they?

You can at least tell me that others than the one are more than the one other would have been one, but the

And shall we say that the lesser or the greater is the first to come or to have come into existence?

Then the one of all things that have number is the first to come into being; but all other things have also

And since it came into being first it must be supposed to have come into being prior to the others, and the

others later; and the things which came into being later, are younger than that which preceded them? And so

the other things will be younger than the one, and the one older than other things?

What would you say of another question? Can the one have come into being contrary to its own nature, or is

And yet, surely, the one was shown to have parts; and if parts, then a beginning, middle and end?

And a beginning, both of the one itself and of all other things, comes into being first of all; and after the

And all these others we shall affirm to be parts of the whole and of the one, which, as soon as the end is

But the end comes last, and the one is of such a nature as to come into being with the last; and, since the one

cannot come into being except in accordance with its own nature, its nature will require that it should come

Well, and must not a beginning or any other part of the one or of anything, if it be a part and not parts, being

And will not the one come into being together with each parttogether with the first part when that comes

into being, and together with the second part and with all the rest, and will not be wanting to any part, which

is added to any other part until it has reached the last and become one whole; it will be wanting neither to the

middle, nor to the first, nor to the last, nor to any of them, while the process of becoming is going on?

Then the one is of the same age with all the others, so that if the one itself does not contradict its own nature,

it will be neither prior nor posterior to the others, but simultaneous; and according to this argument the one

will be neither older nor younger than the others, nor the others than the one, but according to the previous

argument the one will be older and younger than the others and the others than the one.

After this manner then the one is and has become. But as to its becoming older and younger than the others,

and the others than the one, and neither older nor younger, what shall we say? Shall we say as of being so

But I can venture to say, that even if one thing were older or younger than another, it could not become older

or younger in a greater degree than it was at first; for equals added to unequals, whether to periods of time or

Then that which is, cannot become older or younger than that which is, since the difference of age is always

the same; the one is and has become older and the other younger; but they are no longer becoming so.

And the one which is does not therefore become either older or younger than the others which are.

Just as the one was proven to be older than the others and the others than the one.

If the one is older than the others, has come into being a longer time than the others.

But consider again; if we add equal time to a greater and a less time, will the greater differ from the less time

Then the difference between the age of the one and the age of the others will not be afterwards so great as at

first, but if an equal time be added to both of them they will differ less and less in age?

And that which differs in age from some other less than formerly, from being older will become younger in

And if the one becomes younger the others aforesaid will become older than they were before, in relation to

Then that which had become younger becomes older relatively to that which previously had become and was

older; it never really is older, but is always becoming, for the one is always growing on the side of youth and

the other on the side of age. And in like manner the older is always in process of becoming younger than the

younger; for as they are always going in opposite directions they become in ways the opposite to one another,

the younger older than the older, and the older younger than the younger. They cannot, however, have

become; for if they had already become they would be and not merely become. But that is impossible; for

they are always becoming both older and younger than one another: the one becomes younger than the others

because it was seen to be older and prior, and the others become older than the one because they came into

being later; and in the same way the others are in the same relation to the one, because they were seen to be

Inasmuch then, one thing does not become older or younger than another, in that they always differ from each

other by an equal number, the one cannot become older or younger than the others, nor the others than the

one; but inasmuch as that which came into being earlier and that which came into being later must

continually differ from each other by a different portion in this point of view the others must become older

For all these reasons, then, the one is and becomes older and younger than itself and the others, and neither is

But since the one partakes of time, and partakes of becoming older and younger, must it not also partake of

Then the one was and is and will be, and was becoming and is becoming and will become?

And there is and was and will be something which is in relation to it and belongs to it?

And since we have at this moment opinion and knowledge and perception of the one, there is opinion and

Then there is name and expression for it, and it is named and expressed, and everything of this kind which

Yet once more and for the third time, let us consider: If the one is both one and many, as we have described,

and is neither one nor many, and participates in time, must it not, in as far as it is one, at times partake of

But can it partake of being when not partaking of being, or not partake of being when partaking of being?

Then the one partakes and does not partake of being at different times, for that is the only way in which it can

And is there not also a time at which it assumes being and relinquishes beingfor how can it have and not

The one then, as would appear, becomes and is destroyed by taking and giving up being.

And being one and many and in process of becoming and being destroyed, when it becomes one it ceases to

And as it becomes one and many, must it not inevitably experience separation and aggregation?

And whenever it becomes like and unlike it must be assimilated and dissimilated?

And when it becomes greater or less or equal it must grow or diminish or be equalized?

And when being in motion it rests, and when being at rest it changes to motion, it can surely be in no time at

But that a thing which is previously at rest should be afterwards in motion, or previously in motion and

And surely there cannot be a time in which a thing can be at once neither in motion nor at rest?

When then does it change; for it cannot change either when at rest, or when in motion, or when in time?

And does this strange thing in which it is at the time of changing really exist?

The moment. For the moment seems to imply a something out of which change takes place into either of two

states; for the change is not from the state of rest as such, nor from the state of motion as such; but there is

this curious nature which we call the moment lying between rest and motion, not being in any time; and into

this and out of this what is in motion changes into rest, and what is at rest into motion.

And the one then, since it is at rest and also in motion, will change to either, for only in this way can it be in

both. And in changing it changes in a moment, and when it is changing it will be in no time, and will not then

And it will be in the same case in relation to the other changes, when it passes from being into cessation of

being, or from notbeing into becoming then it passes between certain states of motion and rest, and

And on the same principle, in the passage from one to many and from many to one, the one is neither one nor

many, neither separated nor aggregated; and in the passage from like to unlike, and from unlike to like, it is

neither like nor unlike, neither in a state of assimilation nor of dissimilation; and in the passage from small to

great and equal and back again, it will be neither small nor great, nor equal, nor in a state of increase, or

1.aa. But if one is, what will happen to the othersis not that also to be considered?

Let us show then, if one is, what will be the affections of the others than the one.

Inasmuch as there are things other than the one, the others are not the one; for if they were they could not be

Nor are the others altogether without the one, but in a certain way they participate in the one.

Because the others are other than the one inasmuch as they have parts; for if they had no parts they would be

And a whole must necessarily be one made up of many; and the parts will be parts of the one, for each of the

If anything were a part of many, being itself one of them, it will surely be a part of itself, which is impossible,

and it will be a part of each one of the other parts, if of all; for if not a part of some one, it will be a part of all

the others but this one, and thus will not be a part of each one; and if not a part of each, one it will not be a

part of any one of the many; and not being a part of any one, it cannot be a part or anything else of all those

Then the part is not a part of the many, nor of all, but is of a certain single form, which we call a whole, being

If, then, the others have parts, they will participate in the whole and in the one.

And the same argument holds of each part, for the part must participate in the one; for if each of the parts is a

part, this means, I suppose, that it is one separate from the rest and selfrelated; otherwise it is not each.

But when we speak of the part participating in the one, it must clearly be other than one; for if not, it would

not merely have participated, but would have been one; whereas only the itself can be one.

Both the whole and the part must participate in the one; for the whole will be one whole, of which the parts

will be parts; and each part will be one part of the whole which is the whole of the part.

And the things which are other than the one will be many; for if the things which are other than the one were

But, seeing that the things which participate in the one as a part, and in the one as a whole, are more than one,

Let us look at the matter thus:Is it not a fact that in partaking of the one they are not one, and do not

And if we were to abstract from them in idea the very smallest fraction, must not that least fraction, if it does

And if we continue to look at the other side of their nature, regarded simply, and in itself, will not they, as far

And yet, when each several part becomes a part, then the parts have a limit in relation to the whole and to

The result to the others than the one is that the union of themselves and the one appears to create a new

element in them which gives to them limitation in relation to one another; whereas in their own nature they

Then the others than the one, both as whole and parts, are infinite, and also partake of limit.

Inasmuch as they are unlimited in their own nature, they are all affected in the same way.

And inasmuch as they all partake of limit, they are all affected in the same way.

But inasmuch as their state is both limited and unlimited, they are affected in opposite ways.

Considered, then, in regard to either one of their affections, they will be like themselves and one another;

And they are the same and also different from one another, and in motion and at rest, and experience every

sort of opposite affection, as may be proved without difficulty of them, since they have been shown to have

1.bb. Suppose, now, that we leave the further discussion of these matters as evident, and consider again upon

the hypothesis that the one is, whether opposite of all this is or is not equally true of the others.

Then let us begin again, and ask, If one is, what must be the affections of the others?

Why, because there is nothing else beside them which is distinct from both of them; for the expression 'one

Then we cannot suppose that there is anything different from them in which both the one and the others might

Then the one will not be in the others as a whole, nor as part, if it be separated from the others, and has no

Then there is no way in which the others can partake of the one, if they do not partake either in whole or in

Then there is no way in which the others are one, or have in themselves any unity?

Nor are the others many; for if they were many, each part of them would be a part of the whole; but now the

others, not partaking in any way of the one, are neither one nor many, nor whole, nor part.

Then the others neither are nor contain two or three, if entirely deprived of the one?

Then the others are neither like nor unlike the one, nor is likeness and unlikeness in them; for if they were

like and unlike, or had in them likeness and unlikeness, they would have two natures in them opposite to one

But for that which partakes of nothing to partake of two things was held by us to be impossible?

Then the others are neither like nor unlike nor both, for if they were like or unlike they would partake of one

of those two natures, which would be one thing, and if they were both they would partake of opposites which

Therefore they are neither the same, nor other, nor in motion, nor at rest, nor in a state of becoming, nor of

being destroyed, nor greater, nor less, nor equal, nor have they experienced anything else of the sort; for, if

they are capable of experiencing any such affection, they will participate in one and two and three, and odd

and even, and in these, as has been proved, they do not participate, seeing that they are altogether and in

Therefore if one is, the one is all things, and also nothing, both in relation to itself and to other things.

2.a. Well, and ought we not to consider next what will be the consequence if the one is not?

What is the meaning of the hypothesisIf the one is not; is there any difference between this and the

Is there a difference only, or rather are not the two expressionsif the one is not, and if the not one is not,

And suppose a person to say:If greatness is not, if smallness is not, or anything of that sort, does he not

mean, whenever he uses such an expression, that 'what is not' is other than other things?

And so when he says 'If one is not' he clearly means, that what 'is not' is other than all others; we know what

When he says 'one,' he says something which is known; and secondly something which is other than all other

things; it makes no difference whether he predicate of one being or notbeing, for that which is said 'not to

be' is known to be something all the same, and is distinguished from other things.

Then I will begin again, and ask: If one is not, what are the consequences? In the first place, as would appear,

there is a knowledge of it, or the very meaning of the words, 'if one is not,' would not be known.

Secondly, the others differ from it, or it could not be described as different from the others?

Difference, then, belongs to it as well as knowledge; for in speaking of the one as different from the others,

Moreover, the one that is not is something and partakes of relation to 'that,' and 'this,' and 'these,' and the like,

and is an attribute of 'this'; for the one, or the others than the one, could not have been spoken of, nor could

any attribute or relative of the one that is not have been or been spoken of, nor could it have been said to be

anything, if it did not partake of 'some,' or of the other relations just now mentioned.

Being, then, cannot be ascribed to the one, since it is not; but the one that is not may or rather must

participate in many things, if it and nothing else is not; if, however, neither the one nor the one that is not is

supposed not to be, and we are speaking of something of a different nature, we can predicate nothing of it.

But supposing that the one that is not and nothing else is not, then it must participate in the predicate 'that,'

And it will have unlikeness in relation to the others, for the others being different from the one will be of a

And if they are unlike the one, that which they are unlike will clearly be unlike them?

And if unlikeness to other things is attributed to it, it must have likeness to itself.

If the one have unlikeness to one, something else must be meant; nor will the hypothesis relate to one; but it

Again, it is not equal to the others; for if it were equal, then it would at once be and be like them in virtue of

Then the one partakes of inequality, and in respect of this the others are unequal to it?

Then that which has greatness and smallness also has equality, which lies between them?

Then the one, which is not, partakes, as would appear, of greatness and smallness and equality?

It must be so, for if not, then we should not speak the truth in saying that the one is not. But if we speak the

And since we affirm that we speak truly, we must also affirm that we say what is?

Then, as would appear, the one, when it is not, is; for if it were not to be when it is not, but (Or, 'to remit

something of existence in relation to notbeing.') were to relinquish something of being, so as to become

Then the one which is not, if it is to maintain itself, must have the being of notbeing as the bond of

notbeing, just as being must have as a bond the notbeing of notbeing in order to perfect its own being; for

the truest assertion of the being of being and of the notbeing of notbeing is when being partakes of the

being of being, and not of the being of not beingthat is, the perfection of being; and when notbeing does

not partake of the notbeing of notbeing but of the being of notbeingthat is the perfection of notbeing.

Since then what is partakes of notbeing, and what is not of being, must not the one also partake of being in

But can anything which is in a certain state not be in that state without changing?

Thus the one that is not has been shown to have motion also, because it changes from being to notbeing?

But surely if it is nowhere among what is, as is the fact, since it is not, it cannot change from one place to

Nor can it turn on the same spot, for it nowhere touches the same, for the same is, and that which is not

Neither can the one, whether it is or is not, be altered into other than itself, for if it altered and became

different from itself, then we could not be still speaking of the one, but of something else?

But if the one neither suffers alteration, nor turns round in the same place, nor changes place, can it still be

Now that which is unmoved must surely be at rest, and that which is at rest must stand still?

But if it be in motion it must necessarily undergo alteration, for anything which is moved, in so far as it is

Then, in so far as the one that is not is moved, it is altered, but in so far as it is not moved, it is not altered?

And must not that which is altered become other than it previously was, and lose its former state and be

destroyed; but that which is not altered can neither come into being nor be destroyed?

And the one that is not, being altered, becomes and is destroyed; and not being altered, neither becomes nor is

destroyed; and so the one that is not becomes and is destroyed, and neither becomes nor is destroyed?

2.b. And now, let us go back once more to the beginning, and see whether these or some other consequences

Do not the words 'is not' signify absence of being in that to which we apply them?

And when we say that a thing is not, do we mean that it is not in one way but is in another? or do we mean,

absolutely, that what is not has in no sort or way or kind participation of being?

And did we not mean by becoming, and being destroyed, the assumption of being and the loss of being?

The one then, since it in no way is, cannot have or lose or assume being in any way?

Then the one that is not, since it in no way partakes of being, neither perishes nor becomes?

Nor can we say that it stands, if it is nowhere; for that which stands must always be in one and the same spot?

Nor is there any existing thing which can be attributed to it; for if there had been, it would partake of being?

And therefore neither smallness, nor greatness, nor equality, can be attributed to it?

Well, and if nothing should be attributed to it, can other things be attributed to it?

And therefore other things can neither be like or unlike, the same, or different in relation to it?

Nor can what is not, be anything, or be this thing, or be related to or the attribute of this or that or other, or be

past, present, or future. Nor can knowledge, or opinion, or perception, or expression, or name, or any other

2.aa. Yet once more; if one is not, what becomes of the others? Let us determine that.

The others must surely be; for if they, like the one, were not, we could not be now speaking of them.

But to speak of the others implies differencethe terms 'other' and 'different' are synonymous?

Then, if there are to be others, there is something than which they will be other?

And what can that be?for if the one is not, they will not be other than the one.

Then they will be other than each other; for the only remaining alternative is that they are other than nothing.

And they are each other than one another, as being plural and not singular; for if one is not, they cannot be

singular, but every particle of them is infinite in number; and even if a person takes that which appears to be

the smallest fraction, this, which seemed one, in a moment evanesces into many, as in a dream, and from

being the smallest becomes very great, in comparison with the fractions into which it is split up?

And in such particles the others will be other than one another, if others are, and the one is not?

And will there not be many particles, each appearing to be one, but not being one, if one is not?

And it would seem that number can be predicated of them if each of them appears to be one, though it is

And there will seem to be odd and even among them, which will also have no reality, if one is not?

And there will appear to be a least among them; and even this will seem large and manifold in comparison

And each particle will be imagined to be equal to the many and little; for it could not have appeared to pass

from the greater to the less without having appeared to arrive at the middle; and thus would arise the

And having neither beginning, middle, nor end, each separate particle yet appears to have a limit in relation to

Because, when a person conceives of any one of these as such, prior to the beginning another beginning

appears, and there is another end, remaining after the end, and in the middle truer middles within but smaller,

And so all being, whatever we think of, must be broken up into fractions, for a particle will have to be

And such being when seen indistinctly and at a distance, appears to be one; but when seen near and with keen

intellect, every single thing appears to be infinite, since it is deprived of the one, which is not?

Then each of the others must appear to be infinite and finite, and one and many, if others than the one exist

Just as in a picture things appear to be all one to a person standing at a distance, and to be in the same state

But when you approach them, they appear to be many and different; and because of the appearance of the

And so must the particles appear to be like and unlike themselves and each other.

And must they not be the same and yet different from one another, and in contact with themselves, although

they are separated, and having every sort of motion, and every sort of rest, and becoming and being

destroyed, and in neither state, and the like, all which things may be easily enumerated, if the one is not and

2.bb. Once more, let us go back to the beginning, and ask if the one is not, and the others of the one are, what

Nor will they be many; for if they were many one would be contained in them. But if no one of them is one,

Because the others have no sort or manner or way of communion with any sort of notbeing, nor can

anything which is not, be connected with any of the others; for that which is not has no parts.

Nor is there an opinion or any appearance of notbeing in connexion with the others, nor is notbeing ever in

Then if one is not, there is no conception of any of the others either as one or many; for you cannot conceive

Then if one is not, the others neither are, nor can be conceived to be either one or many?

Nor as the same or different, nor in contact or separation, nor in any of those states which we enumerated as

appearing to be;the others neither are nor appear to be any of these, if one is not?

Then may we not sum up the argument in a word and say truly: If one is not, then nothing is?

Let thus much be said; and further let us affirm what seems to be the truth, that, whether one is or is not, one

and the others in relation to themselves and one another, all of them, in every way, are and are not, and