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Sextus Empiricus

Against the Physicists, Books IX-X of Against the Learned Section 376

Section 376 of 791

Canonical reference 9.376

Ancient Greek

Hermann Mutschmann and Jürgen Mau, editors · adversus-grc

μῆκος μὲν γὰρ οὐκ ἔστιν, ἐπεὶ τὸ μέγιστον ἦν τοῦτο τοῦ σώματος διάστημα, ὅπερ λέγεται παρὰ τοῖς μαθηματικοῖς γραμμή, ἡ δὲ γραμμὴ ἦν στιγμὴ ἐρρυηκυῖα, καὶ ἡ στιγμὴ σημεῖον ἀμερὲς καὶ ἀδιάστατον. ὅθεν εἰ μηδὲν ἔστι σημεῖον ἀμερὲς καὶ ἀδιάστατον, οὐδὲ γραμμὴ γενήσεται, μὴ οὔσης 29a δὲ γραμμῆς οὐδὲ μῆκος ἔσται, μήκους δὲ μὴ ὄντος οὐδὲ σῶμα ὑποστήσεται· σὺν μήκει γὰρ σῶμα νοεῖται.

English AI-generated translation, non-official

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

For there is no length, since this was the greatest dimension of body, which mathematicians call a line, while a line was a point flowing, and a point a partless and dimensionless sign. Hence, if there is no partless and dimensionless sign, neither will there be a line; if there is no line, there will be no length; and if there is no length, no body will subsist, for body is conceived together with length.

French AI-generated translation, non-official

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

Il n’existe pas de longueur, car elle était la plus grande dimension du corps, celle que les mathématiciens appellent ligne ; or la ligne était un point qui s’est écoulé, et le point un signe sans parties et sans étendue. Par conséquent, s’il n’existe aucun signe sans parties et sans étendue, il n’y aura pas non plus de ligne ; en l’absence de ligne, il n’y aura pas de longueur ; et en l’absence de longueur, aucun corps ne subsistera, puisque le corps est conçu avec la longueur.

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