But it is
actually necessary on their view that the 4 should not consist of
any chance 2's; for the indefinite as they say, received the
definite 2 and made two 2's; for its nature was to double what it
received.
Again, as to the 2 being an entity apart from its two units, and
the 3 an entity apart from its three units, how is this possible?
Either by one's sharing in the other, as 'pale man' is different
from 'pale' and 'man' (for it shares in these), or when one is a
differentia of the other, as 'man' is different from 'animal' and
'two-footed'.
Again, some things are one by contact, some by intermixture,
some by position; none of which can belong to the units of which the 2
or the 3 consists; but as two men are not a unity apart from both,
so must it be with the units. And their being indivisible will make no
difference to them; for points too are indivisible, but yet a pair
of them is nothing apart from the two.
But this consequence also we must not forget, that it follows that
there are prior and posterior 2 and similarly with the other
numbers. For let the 2's in the 4 be simultaneous; yet these are prior
to those in the 8 and as the 2 generated them, they generated the
4's in the 8-itself. Therefore if the first 2 is an Idea, these 2's
also will be Ideas of some kind. And the same account applies to the
units; for the units in the first 2 generate the four in 4, so that
all the units come to be Ideas and an Idea will be composed of
Ideas. Clearly therefore those things also of which these happen to be
the Ideas will be composite, e.
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