Sunday, January 01, 2023
Characteristics Peculiar to Man
Leo the Physician, Epitome on the Nature of Man 5 (tr. Robert Renehan):
Robert Renehan (1935-2019) showed kindness and encouragement to me at a time when I needed both.
Related post: Man's Uniqueness.
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It is a characteristic only of man that the hair becomes grey, just as also laughter is peculiar to man. What is the derivation of polia (grey hair)? It is so called because it is white, and polion is a word for "whiteness"; or else because the hair becomes old (palaia) in old age on account of the weakness of the innate heat.Robert Renehan with white hair:
Ἴδιον τὸ πολιοῦσθαι μόνον τοῦ ἀνθρώπου, ὥσπερ καὶ τὸ γελᾶν. πόθεν πολιά; παρὰ τὸ λευκὴ εἶναι· τὸ δὲ λευκόν, πολιόν. ἢ ὅτι παλαιὰ ἐν γήρᾳ γίνεται τῇ ἀσθενείᾳ τῆς ἐμφύτου θερμασίας.
Related post: Man's Uniqueness.
