But it is not
hard to solve this difficulty; for we have said in our works on
physics in what sense things that come to be come to be from that
which is not, and in what sense from that which is.
But to attend equally to the opinions and the fancies of disputing
parties is childish; for clearly one of them must be mistaken. And
this is evident from what happens in respect of sensation; for the
same thing never appears sweet to some and the contrary of sweet to
others, unless in the one case the sense-organ which discriminates the
aforesaid flavours has been perverted and injured. And if this is so
the one party must be taken to be the measure, and the other must not.
And say the same of good and bad, and beautiful and ugly, and all
other such qualities. For to maintain the view we are opposing is just
like maintaining that the things that appear to people who put their
finger under their eye and make the object appear two instead of one
must be two (because they appear to be of that number) and again one
(for to those who do not interfere with their eye the one object
appears one).
In general, it is absurd to make the fact that the things of
this earth are observed to change and never to remain in the same
state, the basis of our judgement about the truth. For in pursuing the
truth one must start from the things that are always in the same state
and suffer no change. Such are the heavenly bodies; for these do not
appear to be now of one nature and again of another, but are
manifestly always the same and share in no change.
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