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Sextus Empiricus

Against the Ethicists, Book XI of Against the Learned Section 246

Section 246 of 257

Canonical reference 11.246

Ancient Greek

Hermann Mutschmann and Jürgen Mau, editors · adversus-grc

ὃ καὶ αὐτὸ τῶν ἀπόρων. εἰ γὰρ ἡ φρόνησίς ἐστιν ἐπιστήμη ἀγαθῶν καὶ κακῶν καὶ οὐθετέρων, ὁ ἄφρων μὴ ἔχων τινὰ φρόνησιν, ἄγνοιαν δὲ ἔχων τούτων πάντων, διδάσκοντος τοῦ φρονίμου τὰ ἀγαθὰ καὶ κακὰ καὶ οὐθέτερα ἀκούσεται μόνον τῶν λεγομένων, οὐ γνώσεται δ᾿ αὐτά. εἰ γὰρ ἀντ’ ἀντιλαμβάνοιτο αὐτῶν ἐν ἀφροσύνῃ καθεστώς, ἔσται ἡ ἀφροσύνη τῶν τε ἀγαθῶν καὶ κακῶν καὶ οὐθετέρων γνωριστική. οὐχὶ δέ γε τούτων κατ’ αὐτούς ἐστιν ἡ ἀφροσύνη θεωρητική· ὁ ἄρα ἄφρων οὐκ ἀντιλήψεται τῶν ὑπὸ τοῦ φρονίμου λεγομένων ἤ πραττομένων κατὰ τὸν τῆς φρονήσεως λόγον.

English AI-generated translation, non-official

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

But this too is among the insoluble difficulties. For if prudence is knowledge of goods, evils, and things that are neither, the foolish person, possessing no prudence but ignorance of all these things, will merely hear the words when the prudent person teaches goods, evils, and things that are neither, but will not know them. For if he apprehended them while remaining in folly, folly would be capable of cognizing goods, evils, and things that are neither. But according to them folly is not contemplative of these things. Therefore the foolish person will not apprehend what the prudent person says or does in accordance with the account of prudence.

French AI-generated translation, non-official

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

mais cela aussi est introuvable. Car si la prudence est la science des biens, des maux et des choses indifférentes, l’insensé, qui ne possède aucune prudence mais ignore toutes ces choses, entendra seulement les paroles de l’homme prudent lorsqu’il lui enseignera les biens, les maux et les choses indifférentes, mais il ne les connaîtra pas. Car s’il les saisissait tout en demeurant dans l’insensé, l’insensé serait capable de connaître les biens, les maux et les choses indifférentes. Or, selon eux, l’insensé n’est pas capable de contempler ces choses. L’insensé ne saisira donc ni les paroles ni les actions que l’homme prudent produit conformément à la raison de la prudence.

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