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Taylor - Theoretic Arithmetic.pdf - Platonic Philosophy

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If it be requisite, however, to speak concerning the difference<br />

of these monads, and their privation of difference, we must say<br />

that the monads which subsist in quantity, are by no means to<br />

be extended to essential numbers; but when we call essential<br />

numbers monads, we must assert that all of them mutually<br />

differ from each other by difference itself, and that they possess<br />

a privation of difference from sameness. It is evident also,<br />

that those which are in the same order, are contained through<br />

mutual comparison, in sameness rather than in difference, but<br />

that those which are in different orders are conversant with<br />

much diversity, through the dominion of difference.<br />

Again, the Pythagoreans asserted that nature produces sensible~<br />

by numbers; but then these numbers were not mathematical<br />

but physical; and as they spoke symbolically, it is not improbable<br />

that they demonstrated every property of sensibles by<br />

mathematical names. However, says Syrianus, to ascribe to<br />

them a knowledge of sensible numbers alone, is not only ridiculous,<br />

but highly impious. For they received indeed, from the<br />

theology of Orpheus, the principles of intelligible and intellectual<br />

numbers, they assigned them an abundant progression,<br />

and extended their dominion as far as to sensibles themselves.<br />

Hence that proverb was peculiar to the Pythagoreans, that all<br />

things are assimilated to number. Pythagoras, therefore, in<br />

THE SACRED DISCOURSE, clearly says, that "number is the ruler<br />

of forms and ideas, and is the cause of gods and daemons."<br />

He also supposes that "to the most ancient and artificial1.y<br />

rulz'ng deity, number is the canon, the artificial reason, the intellect<br />

also, and the most undevirrting balance of the composition<br />

and generation of all things." ~ U ~ OPCV S X.J~QYOPQS, 6~ 79<br />

ctpq, ~oyy, %rappq8qv popqov xat tBcwv xpavsopa rov ap:Opov ~hsyiv<br />

rtvat, xac 0oov xar Gatpovov atstova xat 79 zrpc~~u~arq, xac xpx-<br />

rtorcuov.rr q v t q Bey xavova, xoc hoyov ssxvrxov, vouv .re xat<br />

oraopav axhtvto~a~av sov ap tepov .~;rctxc oooraotoG xat yevsuco~ ror

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