Simplicius · thesis 17.8

Thesis 17.8

Latin

Sicut lumen colores non facit colores, sed praeexistentes colores potentia uisibiles, facit actu uisibiles, ita intellectus agens non facit species cum non essent prius, sed actu praeexistentes species potentia cognoscibiles, facit actu cognoscibiles.

Copy-text: Farmer 1998, line 14649

English

Just as light does not make colors to be colors, but makes colors that already exist, potentially visible, actually visible, so the agent intellect does not bring images into being where none existed before, but makes images that already exist in act, and are knowable in potency, actually known.

Sense checked against farmer1998:14684; no further crux.

Translation: machine-drafted 2026-09-26 by TRANSLATOR-T03b; sense checked against farmer1998:14684; awaiting human check

Attribution: reported according to Simplicius (section 17 of the historical theses) · Pico's stance: reports

Farmer's cross-references

• 14.2 Lux et color essentialiter non differunt.