Spinoza Ethica Prop. 15 Scholium

Here you can discuss all things Latin. Use this board to ask questions about grammar, discuss learning strategies, get help with a difficult passage of Latin, and more.
Post Reply
vir litterarum
Textkit Zealot
Posts: 722
Joined: Sat Sep 24, 2005 4:04 am
Location: Chicago, IL

Spinoza Ethica Prop. 15 Scholium

Post by vir litterarum »

Denique, si ex uno puncto infinitae cuiusdam quantitatis concipiatur, duas lineas, ut AB, AC, certa ac determinata in initio distantia in infinitum protendi; certum est, distantiam inter B et C continuo augeri, et tandem ex determinata indeterminabilem fore.

I am confused as to what "a point of a certain infinite quanity" means. I take Spinoza to be referring here to a scenario in which at first the distance between lines AB and AC is zero but then gradually extends to infinity, so how does the "infinite quantity" of the point affect this?

adrianus
Textkit Zealot
Posts: 3270
Joined: Sun Sep 10, 2006 9:45 pm

Re: Spinoza Ethica Prop. 15 Scholium

Post by adrianus »

Sic verto:
Finally, if from one point in a certain infinite quantity [a point in/of an infinite plane or space or body, say, // res punctum infiniti superficiei spatiive seu corporis spectat] it were to be imagined that two lines, AB AC, at a fixed and determinate distance [between B and C] initially were to be infinitely extended, certainly the distance between B and C would continually increase, and in the end there would be an indeterminable distance from a determinate one.
I'm writing in Latin hoping for correction, and not because I'm confident in how I express myself. Latinè scribo ut ab omnibus corrigar, non quod confidenter me exprimam.

modus.irrealis
Textkit Zealot
Posts: 1093
Joined: Mon Apr 10, 2006 6:08 am
Location: Toronto

Re: Spinoza Ethica Prop. 15 Scholium

Post by modus.irrealis »

vir litterarum wrote:I am confused as to what "a point of a certain infinite quanity" means. I take Spinoza to be referring here to a scenario in which at first the distance between lines AB and AC is zero but then gradually extends to infinity, so how does the "infinite quantity" of the point affect this?
I agree with adrianus's translation -- my understanding of the point is that only in an infinite body could you extend the lines to infinity and arrive at the supposed contradiction.

Post Reply