Source edition
Galen. Claudii Galeni Opera Omnia, Volume 14. Kühn, Karl Gottlob, editor. Leipzig: Knobloch, 1827.
Source data
A Digital Corpus for Graeco-Arabic Studies · CC BY-SA 4.0
Cloned and adapted by Humanitext, with ongoing edits.
Summary
Based on Aristotle's "Sophistical Refutations", this philosophical and linguistic treatise systematically analyzes various logical fallacies (sophisms) arising from the ambiguity and "duplicity" of language. The author's primary objective is to clarify and complement Aristotle's complex proofs by explaining the six types of linguistic fallacies, including homonymy and amphiboly. The core of the argument posits that all linguistic fallacies stem from "duplicity"—the failure of language to signify clearly, despite its essential function of meaning. By defining statement (logos) and its components, the text explains how duplicity arises in actuality or potentiality, and uncovers how sophists exploit these potential dualities. Finally, the work critically examines the Stoic classification of ambiguity, demonstrating how it is subsumed under the Aristotelian framework, and reinforces the systematic, scientific approach to linguistic analysis.