From the book
Stobaeus, Volume I
John Stobaeus · Diotimos Editions · 2026
Browse this book’s lexicon →Orientation
At a Glance
- The wordPēxis is a setting or solidifying.
- In StobaeusThe Philebus explains cold-induced pain through the unnatural congealing of a creature’s moisture.
- In this edition“Congealing” suits bodily moisture; “freezing” should be used only where that more specific process is intended.
- A place to beginUnnatural congealing illustrates the bodily disturbance associated with pain.
- English renderings
- congealing; freezing; solidification
Meaning
Pēxis is a setting or solidifying. Its physical sense does not require that every occurrence describe ordinary water turning to ice.
Use in the book
The Philebus explains cold-induced pain through the unnatural congealing of a creature’s moisture. Restoration of its constituents toward their natural condition is then associated with pleasure. Solidification matters because it disturbs the organized living state, not because every increase in firmness is necessarily painful.
Places to read
- I.47.13.3Unnatural congealing illustrates the bodily disturbance associated with pain.
Translation in this edition
“Congealing” suits bodily moisture; “freezing” should be used only where that more specific process is intended.
Source note
Wachsmuth, volume I, printed pp. 308–309. The speakers accept the account as an outline. Its broader argument invokes the principles of limit and the unlimited.