Ode on a Gricean Automaton

--- by JLS
------- for the GC

A commentary on Liddell/Scott's online entry for 'automaton'. Grice plays with 'automatic' in "Actions and Events".

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αὐτόματος, η, ον, Hom. and Att.; ος, ον Hes.Op.103, Arist.GA 762a9, Philetaer. 1 D., Hp.EP19 in Hermes 53.65.

1.

of persons,

"acting of one's own will,"


------ if Prichard is right, as Grice thinks he is, this comes out as

"willing of one's own will". Is that redundant, or what?

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"of oneself," “αὐ. δέ οἱ ἦλθε” Il.2.408;

αὐtomaton φοιτῶσι Νοῦσοι

Hes.Op.103;

αὐtomaton ἥκω”

Ar.Pl.1190,

cf. Th.6.91, D.S.2.25, etc.

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2.

of IN-animate things, self-acting, spontaneous, of the gates of Olympus,

αὐτόμαται δὲ πύλαι μύκον οὐρανοῦ

Il.5.749

of the tripods of Hephaistos, which ran of themselves,

ὄφρα οἱ αὐτόματοι . . δυσαίατ᾽ ἀγῶνα” 18.376,

cf. Pl.Com.188;

ὅπλα . . αὐ. φανῆναι ἔξω προκείμενα τοῦ νηοῦ

Hdt.8.37;

τὰ αὐtomata

marionettes,

Arist.GA734b10, Hero Aut. passim: generally,

spontaneous,

βίος

Pl.Plt.271e;

ἔπαινος

Epicur. Sent.Vat.64.

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3. of natural agencies,

ὁ ποταμὸς αὐtonomos ἐπελθών

of itself, Hdt.2.14;

of plants,

growing of themselves,

αὐtonomon ἐκ τῆς γῆς γίνεται

Id.3.100;

αὐtonomon φύεσθαι

Id.2.94, Thphr.Fr.171.11;

κύτισος αὐtomonos ἔρχεται

Cratin.98.8: metaph.,

αὐτόματα πάντ᾽ ἀγαθὰ . . ποριζεται

Ar. Ach.976, cf. Cratin.160;

of philosophers,

αὐ. ἀναφύονται” Pl.Tht. 180c.

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4.

of events, happening of themselves, without external agency,


αὐ. δεσμὰ διελύθη

E.Ba.447;

αὐtonomos θάνατος

natural death, D. 18.205;

κόποι αὐtonomoi

not to be accounted for externally, Hp.Aph.2.5;

ἀπό τινος αἰτίας αὐτομάτης

Pl.Sph.265c; without visible cause, accidental, opp.

ἀπὸ πείρης, Hdt.7.9.γ́.

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II. αὐτόματον, τό, accident,

τὸ αὐ. αἰτιᾶσθαι” Lys.6.25;

σε ταὐ. ἀποσέσωκε”

Men.Epit.568;

διὰ τὸ αὐ.” Arist.Ph.195b33;

τὸ αὐ. ἀγαπῶντες” Id.Ath.8.5; τῷ αὐ., opp. τέχνῃ, Id.Metaph.1070a7: most freq. in the form

ἀπὸ τοῦ αὐτομάτου or “ἀπὸ ταὐτομάτου, ἀποθανέειν ἀπὸ τοῦ αὐ.” Hdt.2.66, cf. Th.2.77, Pl. Ap.38c, al., Arist.Po.1452a5, al., Men.Pk.31; “ἐκ τοῦ αὐ.” X.An.1.3.13;

τὸ Αὐ. personified, Ath.Mitt.35.458 (Pergam.); “ταὐτόματόν ἐστιν ὡς ἔοικέ που θεός” Men.291.



III. Adv. -τως, = ἀπὸ ταὐτομάτου, v.l. in Hdt.2.180, Hp.Fract.43, Arist.PA640a27, al., Theoc.21.27;

"of itself,"

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“κοχλίας αὐ. βαδίζων” Plb.12.13.11:—also αὐτοματεί or -τί (q.v.).