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Sextus Empiricus
Against the Ethicists, Book XI of Against the Learned Section 81
Section 81 of 257
Canonical reference 11.81
Ancient Greek
Hermann Mutschmann and Jürgen Mau, editors · adversus-grc
εἰ γὰρ αἱρετόν ἐστι κατὰ τὸν ἴδιον λόγον τὸ αἱρεῖσθαι, οὐκ ὀφείλομεν σπουδάζειν τυχεῖν οὗπερ αἱρούμεθα, ἵνα μὴ ἐκπέσωμεν τοῦ ἔτι αἱρεῖσθαι. ὥσπερ γὰρ #x003C; . . . . . . #x003E; τὸ πίνειν ἢ ἐσθίειν, ἴνα μὴ πιόντες ἢ φαγόντες ἐκπέσωμεν τοῦ ἔτι θέλειν τὸ πίνειν ἢ ἐσθίειν, οὕτως εἰ τὸ αἱρεῖσθαι πλοῦτον ἢ ὑγείαν αἱρετόν ἐστιν, οὐκ ἐχρῆν ἡμᾶς διώκειν τὸν πλοῦτον ἢ τὴν ἡγείαν, ἴνα μὴ τυχόντες αὐτῶν ἐκπέσωμεν τοῦ ἔτι αἱρεῖσθαι.
English AI-generated translation, non-official
Codex gpt-5.6-sol · Non-official working translation · 2026-09-11
For if choosing is choiceworthy by its own account, we ought not to strive to obtain what we choose, lest we cease still to choose it. Just as <...> drinking or eating, lest after drinking or eating we cease still to desire drinking or eating, so, if choosing wealth or health is choiceworthy, we ought not to pursue wealth or health, lest after obtaining them we cease still to choose them.
French AI-generated translation, non-official
Codex gpt-5.6-sol · Non-official working translation · 2026-09-11
Si le fait de choisir mérite d’être choisi selon sa nature propre, nous ne devons pas nous empresser d’obtenir ce que nous choisissons, de peur de perdre la possibilité de continuer à choisir. De même que […] boire ou manger, afin qu’après avoir bu ou mangé nous ne perdions pas le désir de boire ou de manger, de même, si le fait de choisir la richesse ou la santé mérite d’être choisi, nous ne devrions pas poursuivre la richesse ou la santé, de peur qu’en les obtenant nous ne perdions la possibilité de continuer à les choisir.
Concepts in this passage
Equipollence
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Reason
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Suspension of judgment
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Virtue
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