From the book
Stobaeus, Volume I
John Stobaeus · Diotimos Editions · 2026
Browse this book’s lexicon →Orientation
At a Glance
- The wordLēthē is forgetting or loss from memory.
- In StobaeusThe Philebus discussion distinguishes a bodily affection that escapes awareness from the disappearance of a memory.
- In this edition“Forgetfulness” fits an enduring condition; “forgetting” fits the process.
- A place to beginUnnoticed bodily affection is distinguished from the loss of memory.
- English renderings
- forgetfulness; forgetting
Meaning
Lēthē is forgetting or loss from memory. Something never perceived and never remembered cannot be forgotten in precisely that sense.
Use in the book
The Philebus discussion distinguishes a bodily affection that escapes awareness from the disappearance of a memory. The distinction prevents an unnoticed event from being described as forgetting. It also clarifies why perception and memory must be considered together when determining what a soul has lost.
Places to read
- I.47.14.3Unnoticed bodily affection is distinguished from the loss of memory.
Translation in this edition
“Forgetfulness” fits an enduring condition; “forgetting” fits the process. Neither should replace the absence of awareness in this argument.
Source note
Wachsmuth, volume I, printed pp. 309–310. The passage exploits the relation between escaping notice and forgetting while insisting that the two cases differ.