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Sextus Empiricus

Against the Professors, Books I-VI of Against the Learned Section 4

Section 437 of 757

Canonical reference 3.4

Ancient Greek

Hermann Mutschmann and Jürgen Mau, editors · adversus-grc

καθʼ ἕτερον δὲ σημαι- νόμενον ὑπόθεσις προσαγορεύεται ἐν ῥητορικῇ 〈ἡ〉 τῶν ἐπὶ μέρους ζήτησις, καθὸ καὶ οἱ σοφισταὶ πολλάκις εἰώ- θασιν ἐν ταῖς διατρι | βαῖς λέγειν ῾ θετέον ὑπόθεσιν.ʼ οὐ μὴν ἀλλὰ καὶ κατὰ τρίτην ἐπιβολὴν ὑπόθεσιν καλοῦμεν ἀρχὴν ἀποδείξεως, αἴτησιν οὖσαν πράγματος εἰς κατα- σκευήν τινος.

English AI-generated translation, non-official

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

In another sense, “hypothesis” in rhetoric means the investigation of a particular case, according to which sophists often customarily say in their schools, “A hypothesis must be proposed.” In a third application, we call a hypothesis a principle of demonstration, being a request that something be granted for the establishment of something else.

French AI-generated translation, non-official

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

Selon une autre signification, on appelle «hypothèse», en rhétorique, la recherche portant sur un cas particulier; c’est en ce sens que les sophistes ont souvent coutume de dire dans leurs écoles: «Posons une cause.» Mais, selon un troisième emploi, nous appelons hypothèse le principe d’une démonstration, qui consiste à demander qu’une chose soit accordée afin d’en établir une autre.

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