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Sextus Empiricus

Against the Ethicists, Book XI of Against the Learned Section 118

Section 118 of 257

Canonical reference 11.118

Ancient Greek

Hermann Mutschmann and Jürgen Mau, editors · adversus-grc

εἰ δὲ μὴ μᾶλλόν τις λέγοι τι φύσει αἱρετὸν ἢ φευκτὸν μηδὲ μᾶλλον φευκτὸν ἢ αἱρετόν, ἑκάστου τῶν ὑποπιπτόντων πρός τι πὼς ἔχοντος καὶ κατὰ διαφέροντας καιρούς καὶ περιστάσεις νυνὶ μὲν αἱρετοῦ καθεστῶτος, νυνὶ δὲ φευκτοῦ, βιώσεται μὲν εὐδαιμόνως καὶ ἀταράχως, μήτε ἐπ’ ἀγαθῷ ὡς ἀγαθῷ ἐπαιρόμενος μήτε ἐπὶ κακῷ ταπεινούμενος, τὸ μὲν κατ’ ἀνάγκην συμβαῖνον γεννικῶς δεχόμενος, τοῦ δὲ κατὰ δόξαν ὀχληροῦ, καθ’ ἣν κακόν τι παρεῖναι ἢ ἀγαθὸν δοξάζεται, ἐλευθερούμενος. τοῦτο μὴν αὐτῷ παρέσται ἐκ τοῦ μηδὲν φύσει ἀγαθὸν ἢ κακὸν δοξάζειν. οὐκ ἄρα ἔνεστιν εὐδαιμόνως βιοῦν ἀγαθά τινα ἢ κακὰ ὑποστησάμενον.

English AI-generated translation, non-official

Codex gpt-5.6-sol · Non-official working translation · 2026-09-11

But if someone says that nothing is more choiceworthy than avoidable by nature, nor more avoidable than choiceworthy, since each thing encountered is in a relative condition and is choiceworthy at one time and avoidable at another according to differing occasions and circumstances, he will live happily and without disturbance. He will neither be elated by a good as good nor cast down by an evil, but will nobly accept what happens by necessity and be freed from the distress arising from opinion, according to which some evil or good is believed to be present. This will come to him from believing nothing good or evil by nature. Therefore one cannot live happily while assuming that certain things are good or evil.

French AI-generated translation, non-official

Codex gpt-5.6-sol · Non-official working translation · 2026-09-11

Mais si l’on ne dit pas qu’une chose mérite davantage, par nature, d’être choisie que fuie, ni davantage d’être fuie que choisie, puisque chaque chose qui se présente possède un caractère relatif et mérite, selon les différents moments et circonstances, tantôt d’être choisie, tantôt d’être fuie, on vivra heureux et sans trouble. On ne s’exaltera pas devant un bien en tant que bien, ni ne s’abaissera devant un mal ; on accueillera noblement ce qui arrive nécessairement et l’on sera libéré du trouble ajouté par l’opinion selon laquelle un mal ou un bien est présent. Cela lui adviendra parce qu’il ne juge rien bon ou mauvais par nature. Il est donc impossible de vivre heureux lorsqu’on suppose l’existence de certains biens ou de certains maux.

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