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But we also wish for things that cannot come to be through us. It has been shown, therefore, that choice is not wish; and it will be shown again, that neither is it deliberation, that is, counsel.

ON COUNSEL, THAT IS, DELIBERATION

They say that counsel, that is, deliberation, is an inquiring desire concerning something to be done that is in our power. But the object of choice is what has been judged from counsel. It is clear from this, therefore, that deliberation is concerned with things still being sought; but choice, with things already decided upon. And it is clear, not only from the definition, but also from the etymology. For the object of choice is that which is chosen before another. And no one decides upon anything, without having deliberated; nor does he choose without having judged. Therefore, choice is not counsel, that is, deliberation.

ON CHOICE

They say that choice is a deliberative desire for things in our power 15Α_018 to be done. For choice is something mixed, and a compound of many things; composed of desire and counsel and judgment. For choice is not any one of these things considered in itself; for it is neither desire alone in itself, nor counsel, nor judgment; but a compound of these, just as our human being is a composite of soul and body. For what is decided upon from counsel, which is the matter of choice, becomes an object of choice, and choice comes to be, when desire is added. Necessarily, therefore, choice is concerned with these things after the judgment, about which counsel is concerned before the judgment. For we choose those things about which we deliberate.

ABOUT WHAT THINGS WE DELIBERATE

We deliberate about things that are in our power and able to be done through us, and which have an uncertain outcome. Now, 'in our power' is said, because we deliberate only about things to be done. For these are in our power; for not about self-subsistent wisdom. For neither about God, nor about things that come to be by necessity and always in the same way; for example, the cyclical motion of the times; nor about things that are not always, but always come to be in the same way, for example, the rising and setting of the sun; nor about things that come to be by nature, but not always in the same way, 0017 but for the most part; for example, about a sixty-year-old becoming gray, or a twenty-year-old growing a beard; nor about things that are by nature, but happen at different times in different ways indefinitely; for example, about rains and droughts and hail. For these reasons, then, 'in our power' is said; But 'able to be done through us'; because we do not deliberate about all men (or human affairs), nor about every matter; nor even about all things that are in our power and done through us; but it is necessary 15Α_020 to add, 'and which have an uncertain outcome.' For if it is plain and agreed upon, we no longer deliberate about it; even if it is in our power and comes to be through us. And it has been shown that counsel is not about the end, but about the things that lead to the end. For we do not deliberate about being rich, but how and through what means we will become rich. And to speak concisely, we deliberate only about those things whose action is equally possible; and that is equally possible, which we are able to do, as well as its opposite. But if we were able to do only one of the opposites, this would be agreed upon, as being beyond doubt; and its opposite, impossible. For example, with bread and a stone set before someone, no one deliberates which he will make into food; the one being agreed upon; the other being clearly impossible. These things, then, we choose, the things that are equally possible, about which we also deliberate.

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Βουλόμεθα δέ καί τά μή δι᾿ ἡμῶν οἷα τε γενέσθαι. ∆έδεικται τοίνυν, ὡς οὐδέ βούλησίς ἐστιν ἡ προαίρεσις· δειχθήσεται δέ πάλιν, ὡς οὔτε βούλευσίς ἐστιν ἤγουν βουλή.

ΠΕΡΙ ΒΟΥΛΗΣ ΗΓΟΥΝ ΒΟΥΛΕΥΣΕΩΣ

Τήν βουλήν ἤγουν βούλευσιν εἶναί φασιν ὄρεξιν ζητητικήν περί τι τῶν ἐφ᾿ ἡμῖν πρακτῶν γινομένην. Προαιρετόν δέ, τό ἐκ τῆς βουλῆς κριθέν. ∆ῆλον οὖν ἐντεῦθεν, ὡς ἡ μέν βούλευσις, ἐπί τοῖς ἔτι ζητουμένοις ἐστίν· ἡ δέ προαίρεσις, ἐπί τοῖς ἤδη προκεκριμένοις. Καί δῆλον, οὐκ ἐκ μόνου τοῦ ὁρισμοῦ, ἀλλά καί τῆς ἐτυμολογίας. Προαιρετόν γάρ ἐστι τό ἕτερον πρό ἑτέρου αἱρετόν. Οὐδείς δέ προκρίνει τι, μή βουλευσάμενος· οὐδέ αἱρεῖται μή κρίνας. Οὐκ ἔστιν οὖν βουλή, τουτέστι βούλευσις, ἡ προαίρεσις.

ΠΕΡΙ ΠΡΟΑΙΡΕΣΕΩΣ

Προαίρεσιν εἶναι φασιν ὄρεξιν βουλευτικήν τῶν ἐφ᾿ ἡμῖν 15Α_018 πρακτῶν. Μικτόν γάρ τι, καί πολλοῖς σύγκρατον ἡ προαίρεσις· ἐξ ὀρέξεως καί βουλῆς συγκειμένη καί κρίσεως. Οὐδέτερον γάρ τούτων ὑπάρχει καθ᾿ αὑτό θεωρούμενον ἡ προαίρεσις· οὔτε γάρ μόνον ὄρεξις καθ᾿ αὑτήν, οὔτε βουλή, οὔτε κρίσις· ἀλλά ἐκ τούτων σύγκρατος, καθώς ὁ καθ᾿ ἡμᾶς ἄνθρωπος ἐκ ψυχῆς καί σώματος σύνθετος. Ἐπειδή τότε προαίρεσις, καί προαιρετόν γίνεται, τό προκριθέν ἐκ τῆς βουλῆς, περί οὗ ἡ προαίρεσις, ὅταν προσλάβῃ τήν ὄρεξιν. Ἀναγκαίως οὖν ἡ προαίρεσις περί ταῦτά ἐστι μετά τήν κρίσιν, περί ἅ ἡ βουλή πρό τῆς κρίσεως. Ἐκεῖνα γάρ προαιρούμεθα, περί ὧν βουλευόμεθα.

ΠΕΡΙ ΤΙΝΩΝ ΒΟΥΛΕΥΟΜΕΘΑ

Βουλευόμεθα δέ περί τῶν ἐφ᾿ ἡμῖν καί δι' ἡμῶν γίνεσθαι δυναμένων· καί ἄδηλον ἐχόντων τό τέλος. Τό μέν οὖν ἐφ᾿ ἡμῖν εἴρηται, ἐπειδή περί τῶν πρακτῶν μόνον βουλευόμεθα. Ταῦτα γάρ ἐφ᾿ ἡμῖν· οὐ γάρ περί τῆς αὐθυποστάτου σοφίας. Οὔτε γάρ περί Θεοῦ, οὔτε περί τῶν ἐξ ἀνάγκης καί ἀεί ὡσαύτως γινομένων· οἷον τῆς κυκλικῆς τῶν χρόνων κινήσεως· οὔτε περί τῶν οὐκ ἀεί μέν ὄντων, ἀεί δέ ὁμοίως γινομένων, οἷον ἀνατολῆς ἡλίου καί δύσεως· οὔτε περί τῶν φύσει μέν, οὐκ ἀεί δέ ὁμοίως γινομένων, 0017 ἀλλ᾿ ὡς ἐπί τό πλεῖστον· οἷον, περί τοῦ πολιοῦσθαι τόν ἑξηκοντούτην, ἤ γενειάσκειν τόν εἰκοσαετῆ· οὔτε περί τῶν φύσει μέν, ἄλλοτε δέ ἄλλως ἀορίστως γινομένων· οἷον περί ὄμβρων καί αὐχμῶν καί χαλάζης. ∆ιά ταῦτα μέν τό ἐφ᾿ ἡμῖν, εἴρηται· Τό δέ, ∆ι᾿ ἡμῶν γίνεσθαι δυναμένων· ἐπειδήπερ οὐ περί πάντων ἀνθρώπων (τῶν ἀνθρωπίνων), οὔτε περί παντός πράγματος βουλευόμεθα· ἀλλ᾿ οὐδέ περί πάντων τῶν ἐφ᾿ ἡμῖν, καί δι᾿ ἡμῶν γινομένων· ἀλλά δεῖ 15Α_020 προσκεῖσθαι, καί ἄδηλον ἐχόντων τό τέλος. Ἐάν γάρ ᾖ φανερόν καί ὁμολογούμενον, οὐκ ἔτι περί αὐτοῦ βουλευόμεθα· κἄν ἐφ᾿ ἡμῖν, καί δι᾿ ἡμῶν γίνηται. Ἐδείχθη δέ, ὡς οὐδέ περί τοῦ τέλους, ἀλλά περί τῶν πρός τό τέλος, ἡ βουλή. Βουλευόμεθα γάρ οὐ πλουτῆσαι· ἀλλ᾿ ὅπως καί δι᾿ ὧν πλουτήσομεν. Καί συντόμως εἰπεῖν, περί τούτων μόνον βουλευόμεθα, ὧν ἡ πρᾶξις ἐπίσης ἐνδέχεται· ἔστι δέ ἐπίσης ἐνδεχόμενον, ὅ αὐτό τε δυνάμεθα, καί τό ἀντικείμενον αὐτῷ. Εἰ δέ τό ἕτερον μόνον τῶν ἀντικειμένων ἠδυνάμεθα, τοῦτο μέν ἦν ὁμολογούμενον, ὡς ἀναμφίβολον· τό δἐ ἀντικείμενον, ἀδύνατον. Οἷον, ἄρτου καί λίθου προκειμένων, οὐδείς βουλεύεται ποῖον ποιήσεται βρῶμα· τοῦ μέν ὁμολογουμένου· τοῦ δέ σαφῶς ὄντος ἀδυνάτου. Ταῦτα γοῦν προαιρούμεθα, τά ἐπίσης ἐνδεχόμενα, περί ὧν καί βουλευόμεθα.