Body and Soul in Ancient Philosophy

100
Anthony A. Long
10. sôphrosynÞ is the prime excellence and wisdom. (B 112)
I propose that we call all ten of these Heraclitean propositions “measures”,
trading on the multiple senses of the English word measure to signify
the following range of meanings – (i) determinate quantity; (ii) proportion
or ratio; (iii) moderation; (iv) limit; (v) rule or standard; and
(vi) political or judicial decision.
Heraclitus has different words to signify these different senses of
“measure” but we shall not go wrong if we privilege his recourse to
the term metron. He applies this word to the world’s constantly balanced
changes (B 30), to the sun’s due and regular behaviour (B 94), and, in its
verbal form, to the equivalence in quantity of the change from sea water
to earth and back again (B 31). These are instances of measure in the
sense of (i) determinate quantity; (ii) proportion or ratio; and (iv)
limit. For measure in the sense of (iii) moderation we have sôphrosynÞ;
for (v) rule or standard nomos; and for (vi) judicial decision dikÞ.
Heraclitus’ own words and their striking affinity to Platonic usage
establish the cardinal importance of measure to the connexions he
intuited between three fundamental domains: 1, the way the world is
structured as a physical system; 2, the world’s divine governance and
governor; and 3, the norms of human conduct. Should we, then, use
measure as our translation of the Heraclitean logos? At least one scholar
has done so, but that translation, tempting though it is, does not capture
Heraclitus’ creative use of the term in his most programmatic passages. 19
He did not discover the importance of measure as a criterion for acting
appropriately. That notion was already present in his culture. His great
innovation was to take measure as the key to understanding structure,
balance, and good order. Perhaps the best English word to translate
his logos is rationale. As such, it incorporates the measures of language
and thought, if these are deployed objectively in the interests of truth.
With this in mind, I now review Heraclitus’ most important statement
(B 1):
19 Kirk 1962, 39 finds “measure, the most common meaning, judged purely by
statistical criteria in the extant fragments”. Referring to Freeman 1956, 116,
he writes “[She] has well stressed that the concept of measure is implicit in
the Logos of Heraclitus”, but rightly observes that it “makes but little sense
to translate it thus in fr. 1”, as Freeman does. Kirk himself favours “formula”
for frs. 1, 2, and 50. Other translations he surveys include “word” (Burnet)
“meaning of H’s teaching” (Snell), “argument” (Verdenius), “account(ing)”
(Minar).