第39章

类别:其他 作者:Baldwin Thomas字数:4889更新时间:18/12/26 16:28:37
Ofthingswhichchange,somechangeinanaccidentalsense,like thatinwhich’themusical’maybesaidtowalk,andothersare said,withoutqualification,tochange,becausesomethinginthem changes,i。e。thethingsthatchangeinparts;thebodybecomes healthy,becausetheeyedoes。Butthereissomethingwhichisby itsownnaturemoveddirectly,andthisistheessentiallymovable。 Thesamedistinctionisfoundinthecaseofthemover;forit causesmovementeitherinanaccidentalsenseorinrespectofa partofitselforessentially。Thereissomethingthatdirectlycauses movement;andthereissomethingthatismoved,alsothetimeinwhich itismoved,andthatfromwhichandthatintowhichitismoved。 Buttheformsandtheaffectionsandtheplace,whicharethe terminalsofthemovementofmovingthings,areunmovable,e。g。 knowledgeorheat;itisnotheatthatisamovement,butheating。 Changewhichisnotaccidentalisfoundnotinallthings,butbetween contraries,andtheirintermediates,andbetweencontradictories。We mayconvinceourselvesofthisbyinduction。 Thatwhichchangeschangeseitherfrompositiveintopositive, orfromnegativeintonegative,orfrompositiveintonegative,or fromnegativeintopositive。(BypositiveImeanthatwhichis expressedbyanaffirmativeterm。)Thereforetheremustbethree changes;thatfromnegativeintonegativeisnotchange,because (sincethetermsareneithercontrariesnorcontradictories)there isnoopposition。Thechangefromthenegativeintothepositivewhich isitscontradictoryisgeneration-absolutechangeabsolute generation,andpartialchangepartialgeneration;andthechangefrom positivetonegativeisdestruction-absolutechangeabsolute destruction,andpartialchangepartialdestruction。If,then,’that whichisnot’hasseveralsenses,andmovementcanattachneitherto thatwhichimpliesputtingtogetherorseparating,nortothatwhich impliespotencyandisopposedtothatwhichisinthefullsense (true,thenot-whiteornot-goodcanbemovedincidentally,forthe not-whitemightbeaman;butthatwhichisnotaparticularthing atallcaninnowisebemoved),thatwhichisnotcannotbemoved (andifthisisso,generationcannotbemovement;forthatwhichis notisgenerated;forevenifweadmittothefullthatitsgeneration isaccidental,yetitistruetosaythat’not-being’ispredicableof thatwhichisgeneratedabsolutely)。Similarlyrestcannotbelong tothatwhichisnot。Theseconsequences,then,turnouttobe awkward,andalsothis,thateverythingthatismovedisinaplace, butthatwhichisnotisnotinaplace;forthenitwouldbe somewhere。Norisdestructionmovement;forthecontraryofmovement isrest,butthecontraryofdestructionisgeneration。Sinceevery movementisachange,andthekindsofchangearethethreenamed above,andofthesethoseinthewayofgenerationanddestructionare notmovements,andthesearethechangesfromathingtoits contradictory,itfollowsthatonlythechangefrompositiveinto positiveismovement。Andthepositivesareeithercontraryor intermediate(forevenprivationmustberegardedascontrary),and areexpressedbyanaffirmativeterm,e。g。’naked’or’toothless’or Ifthecategoriesareclassifiedassubstance,quality,place, actingorbeingactedon,relation,quantity,theremustbethree kindsofmovement-ofquality,ofquantity,ofplace。Thereisno movementinrespectofsubstance(becausethereisnothingcontraryto substance),norofrelation(foritispossiblethatifoneoftwo thingsinrelationchanges,therelativetermwhichwastrueofthe otherthingceasestobetrue,thoughthisotherdoesnotchangeat all,-sothattheirmovementisaccidental),norofagentand patient,ormoverandmoved,becausethereisnomovementof movementnorgenerationofgeneration,nor,ingeneral,changeof change。Fortheremightbemovementofmovementintwosenses;(1) movementmightbethesubjectmoved,asamanismovedbecausehe changesfrompaletodark,-sothatonthisshowingmovement,too, maybeeitherheatedorcooledorchangeitsplaceorincrease。But thisisimpossible;forchangeisnotasubject。Or(2)someother subjectmightchangefromchangeintosomeotherformofexistence (e。g。amanfromdiseaseintohealth)。Butthisalsoisnotpossible exceptincidentally。Foreverymovementischangefromsomething intosomething。(Andsoaregenerationanddestruction;only,these arechangesintothingsopposedincertainwayswhiletheother, movement,isintothingsopposedinanotherway。)Athingchanges, then,atthesametimefromhealthintoillness,andfromthis changeitselfintoanother。Clearly,then,ifithasbecomeill,it willhavechangedintowhatevermaybetheotherchangeconcerned (thoughitmaybeatrest),and,further,intoadeterminatechange eachtime;andthatnewchangewillbefromsomethingdefiniteinto someotherdefinitething;thereforeitwillbetheoppositechange, thatofgrowingwell。Weanswerthatthishappensonlyincidentally; e。g。thereisachangefromtheprocessofrecollectiontothatof forgetting,onlybecausethattowhichtheprocessattachesis changing,nowintoastateofknowledge,nowintooneofignorance。 Further,theprocesswillgoontoinfinity,ifthereistobe changeofchangeandcomingtobeofcomingtobe。Whatistrueofthe later,then,mustbetrueoftheearlier;e。g。ifthesimplecomingto bewasoncecomingtobe,thatwhichcomestobesomethingwasalso oncecomingtobe;thereforethatwhichsimplycomestobesomething wasnotyetinexistence,butsomethingwhichwascomingtobe comingtobesomethingwasalreadyinexistence。Andthiswasonce comingtobe,sothatatthattimeitwasnotyetcomingtobe somethingelse。Nowsinceofaninfinitenumberoftermsthereis notafirst,thefirstinthisserieswillnotexist,andthereforeno followingtermexist。Nothing,then,caneithercometermwitobe ormoveorchange。Further,thatwhichiscapableofamovementis alsocapableofthecontrarymovementandrest,andthatwhichcomes tobealsoceasestobe。Thereforethatwhichiscomingtobeis ceasingtobewhenithascometobecomingtobe;foritcannotcease tobeassoonasitiscomingtobecomingtobe,norafterithas cometobe;forthatwhichisceasingtobemustbe。Further,there mustbeamatterunderlyingthatwhichcomestobeandchanges。What willthisbe,then,-whatisitthatbecomesmovementorbecoming,as bodyorsoulisthatwhichsuffersalteration?And;again,whatis itthattheymoveinto?Foritmustbethemovementorbecomingof somethingfromsomethingintosomething。How,then,canthiscondition befulfilled?Therecanbenolearningoflearning,andthereforeno becomingofbecoming。Sincethereisnotmovementeitherof substanceorofrelationorofactivityandpassivity,itremainsthat movementisinrespectofqualityandquantityandplace;foreach oftheseadmitsofcontrariety。ByqualityImeannotthatwhichisin thesubstance(foreventhedifferentiaisaquality),butthepassive quality,invirtueofwhichathingissaidtobeactedonortobe incapableofbeingactedon。Theimmobileiseitherthatwhichis whollyincapableofbeingmoved,orthatwhichismovedwith difficultyinalongtimeorbeginsslowly,orthatwhichisofa naturetobemovedandcanbemovedbutisnotmovedwhenandwhere andasitwouldnaturallybemoved。ThisaloneamongimmobilesI describeasbeingatrest;forrestiscontrarytomovement,sothat itmustbeaprivationinthatwhichisreceptiveofmovement。 Thingswhichareinoneproximateplacearetogetherinplace,and thingswhichareindifferentplacesareapart:thingswhose extremesaretogethertouch:thatatwhichachangingthing,ifit changescontinuouslyaccordingtoitsnature,naturallyarrivesbefore itarrivesattheextremeintowhichitischanging,isbetween。 Thatwhichismostdistantinastraightlineiscontraryinplace。 Thatissuccessivewhichisafterthebeginning(theorderbeing determinedbypositionorformorinsomeotherway)andhasnothing ofthesameclassbetweenitandthatwhichitsucceeds,e。g。linesin thecaseofaline,unitsinthatofaunit,orahouseinthatofa house。(Thereisnothingtopreventathingofsomeotherclassfrom beingbetween。)Forthesuccessivesucceedssomethingandissomething later;’one’doesnotsucceed’two’,northefirstdayofthemonth thesecond。Thatwhich,beingsuccessive,touches,iscontiguous。 (Sinceallchangeisbetweenopposites,andtheseareeither contrariesorcontradictories,andthereisnomiddletermfor contradictories,clearlythatwhichisbetweenisbetweencontraries。) Thecontinuousisaspeciesofthecontiguous。Icalltwothings continuouswhenthelimitsofeach,withwhichtheytouchandbywhich theyarekepttogether,becomeoneandthesame,sothatplainlythe continuousisfoundinthethingsoutofwhichaunitynaturally arisesinvirtueoftheircontact。Andplainlythesuccessiveisthe firstoftheseconcepts(forthesuccessivedoesnotnecessarily touch,butthatwhichtouchesissuccessive;andifathingis continuous,ittouches,butifittouches,itisnotnecessarily continuous;andinthingsinwhichthereisnotouching,thereisno organicunity);thereforeapointisnotthesameasaunit;for contactbelongstopoints,butnottounits,whichhaveonly succession;andthereissomethingbetweentwooftheformer,but notbetweentwoofthelatter。 Thesubjectofourinquiryissubstance;fortheprinciplesand thecausesweareseekingarethoseofsubstances。Foriftheuniverse isofthenatureofawhole,substanceisitsfirstpart;andifit coheresmerelybyvirtueofserialsuccession,onthisviewalso substanceisfirst,andissucceededbyquality,andthenbyquantity。 Atthesametimetheselatterarenotevenbeinginthefullsense, butarequalitiesandmovementsofit,-orelseeventhenot-white andthenot-straightwouldbebeing;atleastwesayeventheseare, e。g。’thereisanot-white’。Further,noneofthecategoriesother thansubstancecanexistapart。Andtheearlyphilosophersalsoin practicetestifytotheprimacyofsubstance;foritwasof substancethattheysoughttheprinciplesandelementsandcauses。The thinkersofthepresentdaytendtorankuniversalsassubstances(for generaareuniversals,andthesetheytendtodescribeasprinciples andsubstances,owingtotheabstractnatureoftheirinquiry);but thethinkersofoldrankedparticularthingsassubstances,e。g。 fireandearth,notwhatiscommontoboth,body。 Therearethreekindsofsubstance-onethatissensible(of whichonesubdivisioniseternalandanotherisperishable;thelatter isrecognizedbyallmen,andincludese。g。plantsandanimals),of whichwemustgrasptheelements,whetheroneormany;andanother thatisimmovable,andthiscertainthinkersasserttobecapableof existingapart,somedividingitintotwo,othersidentifyingthe Formsandtheobjectsofmathematics,andotherspositing,ofthese two,onlytheobjectsofmathematics。Theformertwokindsof substancearethesubjectofphysics(fortheyimplymovement);but thethirdkindbelongstoanotherscience,ifthereisnoprinciple commontoitandtotheotherkinds。