What does 'For let a space be never so little' mean in this Hobbes passage?

[tfsaglam]

I'm reading Hobbes' Leviathan and came across this sentence that's confusing me:


"For let a space be never so little, that which is moved over a greater space, whereof that little one is part, must first be moved over that."

I can't figure out what "For let a space be never so little" actually means.I want to grasp it more deeply; I'm looking for a detailed explanation rather than merely an equivalent expression.

 

[Annabel Lee]

"For let a space be never so little" actually means.

"For" is a coordinating conjunction that relates the sentence you have quoted to what has come before in the written passage. It signals that a reason for the previous thought is about to be stated:

I am endeavoring to answer your question, even though it's a tough one. For I find the question interesting and wish to help you.

"Let a space be never so little" means "It doesn't matter how little a space is." The "let"-construction here is an alternative to the present subjunctive with inversion: "Be a space never so little." It functions as a subordinate clause.

The construction that Hobbes used here is rather archaic. When the related subjunctive construction with inversion is used in today English, it tends to be found, after the seemingly imperative verb, with "wh-" clauses containing ellipsis:

Come what may, I shall be there. [NOT: Let whatever may come come, I shall be there.]
Say what he will, he will assuredly agree to this. [NOT: Let him say whatever he will say, he will assuredly agree to this.]

"Never so little" is also an interesting word choice. I'm a bit surprised that Hobbes didn't write "ever so little" instead. I suppose he wishes the reader to contemplate a hypothetical space littler than any space has ever been.

 

[jutfrank]

Say you want to walk from your house to the mosque—to do this you first have to cover the distance of each step. You cannot arrive at the mosque without covering the span of each step. It's the same when you're making a logical argument—you go step by step and this leads you to understanding. This is how reasoning works, according to Hobbes.