Single Idea 20896

[catalogued under 7. Existence / E. Categories / 5. Category Anti-Realism]

Full Idea

In reality [eteé] to recognise what sort each thing is, belongs to what is impracticable [aporos].

Gist of Idea

It is not possible to know what sort each thing is

Source

Democritus (fragments/reports [c.431 BCE], B008), quoted by Sextus Empiricus - Against the Logicians (two books) 7.137

Book Reference

Democritus: 'Early Greek Phil VII: Democritus', ed/tr. Laks,A/Most,G [Harvard Loeb 2016], p.79


A Reaction

On the whole modern scientists (and the rest of us) shoehorn virtually everything into a specific category. It strikes me as wildly bad metaphysics to say that everything necessarily has its category.