首页 >出版文学> METAPHYSICS>第38章

第38章

  Somethingsareonlyactually,somepotentially,some
  potentiallyandactually,whattheyare,viz。inonecaseaparticular
  reality,inanother,characterizedbyaparticularquantity,orthe
  like。Thereisnomovementapartfromthings;forchangeisalways
  accordingtothecategoriesofbeing,andthereisnothingcommonto
  theseandinnoonecategory。Buteachofthecategoriesbelongsto
  allitssubjectsineitheroftwowayse。g。’this-ness’-forone
  kindofitis’positiveform’,andtheotheris’privation’;andas
  regardsqualityonekindis’white’andtheother’black’,andas
  regardsquantityonekindis’complete’andtheother’incomplete’,
  andasregardsspatialmovementoneis’upwards’andtheother
  ’downwards’,oronethingis’light’andanother’heavy’;sothat
  thereareasmanykindsofmovementandchangeasofbeing。There
  beingadistinctionineachclassofthingsbetweenthepotential
  andthecompletelyreal,Icalltheactualityofthepotentialas
  such,movement。Thatwhatwesayistrue,isplainfromthe
  followingfacts。Whenthe’buildable’,insofarasitiswhatwemean
  by’buildable’,existsactually,itisbeingbuilt,andthisisthe
  processofbuilding。Similarlywithlearning,healing,walking,
  leaping,ageing,ripening。Movementtakeswhenthecompletereality
  itselfexists,andneitherearliernorlater。Thecompletereality,
  then,ofthatwhichexistspotentially,whenitiscompletelyrealand
  actual,notquaitself,butquamovable,ismovement。ByquaImean
  this:bronzeispotentiallyastatue;butyetitisnotthecomplete
  realityofbronzequabronzethatismovement。Foritisnotthe
  samethingtobebronzeandtobeacertainpotency。Ifitwere
  absolutelythesameinitsdefinition,thecompleterealityof
  bronzewouldhavebeenamovement。Butitisnotthesame。Thisis
  evidentinthecaseofcontraries;fortobecapableofbeingwelland
  tobecapableofbeingillarenotthesame-foriftheywere,being
  wellandbeingillwouldhavebeenthesame-itisthatwhichunderlies
  andishealthyordiseased,whetheritismoistureorblood,thatis
  oneandthesame。Andsinceitisnot。thesame,ascolourandthe
  visiblearenotthesame,itisthecompleterealityofthepotential,
  andaspotential,thatismovement。Thatitisthis,andthatmovement
  takesplacewhenthecompleterealityitselfexists,andneither
  earliernorlater,isevident。Foreachthingiscapableofbeing
  sometimesactual,sometimesnot,e。g。thebuildablequabuildable;and
  theactualityofthebuildablequabuildableisbuilding。Forthe
  actualityiseitherthis-theactofbuilding-orthehouse。Butwhen
  thehouseexists,itisnolongerbuildable;thebuildableiswhat
  isbeingbuilt。Theactuality,then,mustbetheactofbuilding,
  andthisisamovement。Andthesameaccountappliestoallother
  movements。
  Thatwhatwehavesaidisrightisevidentfromwhatallothers
  sayaboutmovement,andfromthefactthatitisnoteasytodefineit
  otherwise。Forfirstlyonecannotputitinanyclass。Thisisevident
  fromwhatpeoplesay。Somecallitothernessandinequalityandthe
  unreal;noneofthese,however,isnecessarilymoved,andfurther,
  changeisnoteithertotheseorfromtheseanymorethanfromtheir
  opposites。Thereasonwhypeopleputmovementintheseclassesisthat
  itisthoughttobesomethingindefinite,andtheprinciplesinoneof
  thetwo’columnsofcontraries’areindefinitebecausetheyare
  privative,fornoneofthemiseithera’this’ora’such’orinany
  oftheothercategories。Andthereasonwhymovementisthoughtto
  beindefiniteisthatitcannotbeclassedeitherwiththepotency
  ofthingsorwiththeiractuality;forneitherthatwhichiscapable
  ofbeingofacertainquantity,northatwhichisactuallyofa
  certainquantity,isofnecessitymoved,andmovementisthoughttobe
  anactuality,butincomplete;thereasonisthatthepotential,
  whoseactualityitis,isincomplete。Andthereforeitishardto
  graspwhatmovementis;foritmustbeclassedeitherunder
  privationorunderpotencyorunderabsoluteactuality,but
  evidentlynoneoftheseispossible。Thereforewhatremainsisthatit
  mustbewhatwesaid-bothactualityandtheactualitywehave
  described-whichishardtodetectbutcapableofexisting。
  Andevidentlymovementisinthemovable;foritisthecomplete
  realizationofthisbythatwhichiscapableofcausingmovement。
  Andtheactualityofthatwhichiscapableofcausingmovementisno
  otherthanthatofthemovable。Foritmustbethecompleterealityof
  both。Forwhileathingiscapableofcausingmovementbecauseit
  candothis,itisamoverbecauseitisactive;butitisonthe
  movablethatitiscapableofacting,sothattheactualityofbothis
  one,justasthereisthesameintervalfromonetotwoasfromtwoto
  one,andasthesteepascentandthesteepdescentareone,butthe
  beingofthemisnotone;thecaseofthemoverandthemovedis
  similar。
  Theinfiniteiseitherthatwhichisincapableofbeing
  traversedbecauseitisnotitsnaturetobetraversedthis
  correspondstothesenseinwhichthevoiceis’invisible’,orthat
  whichadmitsonlyofincompletetraverseorscarcelyadmitsof
  traverse,orthatwhich,thoughitnaturallyadmitsoftraverse,is
  nottraversedorlimited;further,athingmaybeinfinitein
  respectofadditionorofsubtraction,orboth。Theinfinitecannotbe
  aseparate,independentthing。Forifitisneitheraspatial
  magnitudenoraplurality,butinfinityitselfisitssubstanceand
  notanaccidentofit,itwillbeindivisible;forthedivisibleis
  eithermagnitudeorplurality。Butifindivisible,itisnotinfinite,
  exceptasthevoiceisinvisible;butpeopledonotmeanthis,norare
  weexaminingthissortofinfinite,buttheinfiniteasuntraversable。
  Further,howcananinfiniteexistbyitself,unlessnumberand
  magnitudealsoexistbythemselvess-sinceinfinityisanattribute
  ofthese?Further,iftheinfiniteisanaccidentofsomethingelse,
  itcannotbequainfiniteanelementinthings,astheinvisibleis
  notanelementinspeech,thoughthevoiceisinvisible。Andevidently
  theinfinitecannotexistactually。Forthenanypartofitthatmight
  betakenwouldbeinfinitefor’tobeinfinite’and’theinfinite’
  arethesame,iftheinfiniteissubstanceandnotpredicatedofa
  subject。Thereforeitiseitherindivisible,orifitispartible,it
  isdivisibleintoinfinites;butthesamethingcannotbemany
  infinitesasapartofairisair,soapartoftheinfinitewouldbe
  infinite,iftheinfiniteissubstanceandaprinciple。Therefore
  itmustbeimpartibleandindivisible。Buttheactuallyinfinite
  cannotbeindivisible;foritmustbeofacertainquantity。Therefore
  infinitybelongstoitssubjectincidentally。Butifso,thenaswe
  havesaiditcannotbeitthatisaprinciple,butthatofwhichit
  isanaccident-theairortheevennumber。
  Thisinquiryisuniversal;butthattheinfiniteisnotamong
  sensiblethings,isevidentfromthefollowingargument。Ifthe
  definitionofabodyis’thatwhichisboundedbyplanes’,there
  cannotbeaninfinitebodyeithersensibleorintelligible;nora
  separateandinfinitenumber,fornumberorthatwhichhasanumberis
  numerable。Concretely,thetruthisevidentfromthefollowing
  argument。Theinfinitecanneitherbecompositenorsimple。Forait
  cannotbeacompositebody,sincetheelementsarelimitedin
  multitude。Forthecontrariesmustbeequalandnooneofthemmustbe
  infinite;forifoneofthetwobodiesfallsatallshortoftheother
  inpotency,thefinitewillbedestroyedbytheinfinite。Andthat
  eachshouldbeinfiniteisimpossible。Forbodyisthatwhichhas
  extensioninalldirections,andtheinfiniteistheboundlessly
  extended,sothatiftheinfiniteisabodyitwillbeinfinitein
  everydirection。Norbcantheinfinitebodybeoneand
  simple-neither,assomesay,somethingapartfromtheelements,from
  whichtheygeneratetheseforthereisnosuchbodyapartfromthe
  elements;foreverythingcanberesolvedintothatofwhichit
  consists,butnosuchproductofanalysisisobservedexceptthe
  simplebodies,norfirenoranyotheroftheelements。Forapartfrom
  thequestionhowanyofthemcouldbeinfinite,theAll,evenifitis
  finite,cannoteitherbeorbecomeanyoneofthem,asHeraclitussays
  allthingssometimebecomefire。Thesameargumentappliestothis
  astotheOnewhichthenaturalphilosopherspositbesidesthe
  elements。Foreverythingchangesfromcontrarytocontrary,e。g。
  fromhottocold。
  Further,asensiblebodyissomewhere,andwholeandparthavethe
  sameproperplace,e。g。thewholeearthandpartoftheearth。
  Thereforeifatheinfinitebodyishomogeneous,itwillbe
  unmovableoritwillbealwaysmoving。Butthisisimpossible;forwhy
  shoulditratherrest,ormove,down,up,oranywhere,ratherthan
  anywhereelse?E。g。iftherewereaclodwhichwerepartofan
  infinitebody,wherewillthismoveorrest?Theproperplaceofthe
  bodywhichishomogeneouswithitisinfinite。Willtheclodoccupy
  thewholeplace,then?Andhow?Thisisimpossible。Whatthenisits
  restoritsmovement?Itwilleitherresteverywhere,andthenit
  cannotmove;oritwillmoveeverywhere,andthenitcannotbe
  still。ButbiftheAllhasunlikeparts,theproperplacesofthe
  partsareunlikealso,and,firstly,thebodyoftheAllisnotone
  exceptbycontact,and,secondly,thepartswillbeeitherfiniteor
  infiniteinvarietyofkind。Finitetheycannotbe;forthenthose
  ofonekindwillbeinfiniteinquantityandthoseofanotherwillnot
  iftheAllisinfinite,e。g。fireorwaterwouldbeinfinite,but
  suchaninfiniteelementwouldbedestructiontothecontrary
  elements。Butifthepartsareinfiniteandsimple,theirplaces
  alsoareinfiniteandtherewillbeaninfinitenumberofelements;
  andifthisisimpossible,andtheplacesarefinite,theAllalso
  mustbelimited。
  Ingeneral,therecannotbeaninfinitebodyandalsoaproper
  placeforbodies,ifeverysensiblebodyhaseitherweightor
  lightness。Foritmustmoveeithertowardsthemiddleorupwards,
  andtheinfiniteeitherthewholeorthehalfofit-cannotdo
  either;forhowwillyoudivideit?Orhowwillpartoftheinfinite
  bedownandpartup,orpartextremeandpartmiddle?Further,every
  sensiblebodyisinaplace,andtherearesixkindsofplace,but
  thesecannotexistinaninfinitebody。Ingeneral,iftherecannotbe
  aninfiniteplace,therecannotbeaninfinitebody;andtherecannot
  beaninfiniteplace,forthatwhichisinaplaceissomewhere,
  andthismeanseitherupordownorinoneoftheotherdirections,
  andeachoftheseisalimit。
  Theinfiniteisnotthesameinthesensethatitisasingle
  thingwhetherexhibitedindistanceorinmovementorintime,butthe
  posterioramongtheseiscalledinfiniteinvirtueofitsrelation
  totheprior;i。e。amovementiscalledinfiniteinvirtueofthe
  distancecoveredbythespatialmovementoralterationorgrowth,
  andatimeiscalledinfinitebecauseofthemovementwhichoccupies
  it。