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Plato and the Other Companions of Sokrates, 3rd ed. Volume 3

Note 70 — Chapter XXIX · SOPHISTES — POLITIKUS.

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Plato, Sophist. p. 257 B. Ὁπόταν τὸ μὴ ὂν λέγωμεν, ὡς ἔοικεν, οὐκ ἐναντίον τι λέγομεν τοῦ ὄντος, ἀλλ’ ἕτερον μόνον . . . Οἷον ὅταν εἰπωμέν τι μὴ μέγα, τότε μᾶλλόν τί σοι φαινόμεθα τὸ σμικρὸν ἢ τὸ ἴσον δηλοῦν τῷ ῥήματι.

Plato here means to imply that τὸ σμικρὸν is the real contrary of τὸ μέγα. When we say μὴ μέγα, we do not necessarily mean σμικρόν — we may mean ἴσον. Therefore τὸ μὴ μέγα does not (in his view) imply the contrary of μέγα.

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