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第40章

  Sensiblesubstanceischangeable。Nowifchangeproceedsfrom
  oppositesorfromintermediates,andnotfromalloppositesforthe
  voiceisnot-white,butitdoesnotthereforechangetowhite,
  butfromthecontrary,theremustbesomethingunderlyingwhich
  changesintothecontrarystate;forthecontrariesdonotchange。
  Further,somethingpersists,butthecontrarydoesnotpersist;
  thereis,then,somethirdthingbesidesthecontraries,viz。the
  matter。Nowsincechangesareoffourkinds-eitherinrespectofthe
  ’what’orofthequalityorofthequantityoroftheplace,and
  changeinrespectof’thisness’issimplegenerationand
  destruction,andchangeinquantityisincreaseanddiminution,and
  changeinrespectofanaffectionisalteration,andchangeofplace
  ismotion,changeswillbefromgivenstatesintothosecontraryto
  themintheseseveralrespects。Thematter,then,whichchangesmust
  becapableofbothstates。Andsincethatwhich’is’hastwosenses,
  wemustsaythateverythingchangesfromthatwhichispotentially
  tothatwhichisactually,e。g。frompotentiallywhitetoactually
  white,andsimilarlyinthecaseofincreaseanddiminution。Therefore
  notonlycanathingcometobe,incidentally,outofthatwhichis
  not,butalsoallthingscometobeoutofthatwhichis,butis
  potentially,andisnotactually。Andthisisthe’One’ofAnaxagoras;
  forinsteadof’allthingsweretogether’-andthe’Mixture’of
  EmpedoclesandAnaximanderandtheaccountgivenbyDemocritus-itis
  bettertosay’allthingsweretogetherpotentiallybutnotactually’。
  Thereforethesethinkersseemtohavehadsomenotionofmatter。Now
  allthingsthatchangehavematter,butdifferentmatter;andof
  eternalthingsthosewhicharenotgenerablebutaremovablein
  spacehavematter-notmatterforgeneration,however,butformotion
  fromoneplacetoanother。
  Onemightraisethequestionfromwhatsortofnon-being
  generationproceeds;for’non-being’hasthreesenses。If,then,one
  formofnon-beingexistspotentially,stillitisnotbyvirtueofa
  potentialityforanyandeverything,butdifferentthingscomefrom
  differentthings;norisitsatisfactorytosaythat’allthings
  weretogether’;fortheydifferintheirmatter,sinceotherwisewhy
  didaninfinityofthingscometobe,andnotonething?For
  ’reason’isone,sothatifmatteralsowereone,thatmusthave
  cometobeinactualitywhichthematterwasinpotency。Thecauses
  andtheprinciples,then,arethree,twobeingthepairof
  contrariesofwhichoneisdefinitionandformandtheotheris
  privation,andthethirdbeingthematter。
  Note,next,thatneitherthematternortheformcomestobe-andI
  meanthelastmatterandform。Foreverythingthatchangesis
  somethingandischangedbysomethingandintosomething。Thatby
  whichitischangedistheimmediatemover;thatwhichischanged,the
  matter;thatintowhichitischanged,theform。Theprocess,then,
  willgoontoinfinity,ifnotonlythebronzecomestoberoundbut
  alsotheroundorthebronzecomestobe;thereforetheremustbea
  stop。
  Note,next,thateachsubstancecomesintobeingoutof
  somethingthatsharesitsname。Naturalobjectsandotherthingsboth
  rankassubstances。Forthingscomeintobeingeitherbyartorby
  natureorbyluckorbyspontaneity。Nowartisaprincipleof
  movementinsomethingotherthanthethingmoved,natureisa
  principleinthethingitselfformanbegetsman,andtheother
  causesareprivationsofthesetwo。
  Therearethreekindsofsubstance-thematter,whichisa’this’
  inappearanceforallthingsthatarecharacterizedbycontactand
  not,byorganicunityarematterandsubstratum,e。g。fire,flesh,
  head;fortheseareallmatter,andthelastmatteristhematterof
  thatwhichisinthefullsensesubstance;thenature,whichisa
  ’this’orpositivestatetowardswhichmovementtakesplace;and
  again,thirdly,theparticularsubstancewhichiscomposedofthese
  two,e。g。SocratesorCallias。Nowinsomecasesthe’this’doesnot
  existapartfromthecompositesubstance,e。g。theformofhouse
  doesnotsoexist,unlesstheartofbuildingexistsapartnoris
  theregenerationanddestructionoftheseforms,butitisin
  anotherwaythatthehouseapartfromitsmatter,andhealth,and
  allidealsofart,existanddonotexist;butifthe’this’exists
  apartfromtheconcretething,itisonlyinthecaseofnatural
  objects。AndsoPlatowasnotfarwrongwhenhesaidthatthereareas
  manyFormsastherearekindsofnaturalobjectifthereareForms
  distinctfromthethingsofthisearth。Themovingcausesexistas
  thingsprecedingtheeffects,butcausesinthesenseofdefinitions
  aresimultaneouswiththeireffects。Forwhenamanishealthy,then
  healthalsoexists;andtheshapeofabronzesphereexistsatthe
  sametimeasthebronzesphere。Butwemustexaminewhetherany
  formalsosurvivesafterwards。Forinsomecasesthereisnothingto
  preventthis;e。g。thesoulmaybeofthissort-notallsoulbutthe
  reason;forpresumablyitisimpossiblethatallsoulshouldsurvive。
  Evidentlythenthereisnonecessity,onthisgroundatleast,forthe
  existenceoftheIdeas。Formanisbegottenbyman,agivenmanby
  anindividualfather;andsimilarlyinthearts;forthemedicalart
  istheformalcauseofhealth。
  Thecausesandtheprinciplesofdifferentthingsareinasense
  different,butinasense,ifonespeaksuniversallyandanalogically,
  theyarethesameforall。Foronemightraisethequestionwhether
  theprinciplesandelementsaredifferentorthesameforsubstances
  andforrelativeterms,andsimilarlyinthecaseofeachofthe
  categories。Butitwouldbeparadoxicaliftheywerethesameforall。
  Forthenfromthesameelementswillproceedrelativetermsand
  substances。Whatthenwillthiscommonelementbe?For1athere
  isnothingcommontoanddistinctfromsubstanceandtheother
  categories,viz。thosewhicharepredicated;butanelementisprior
  tothethingsofwhichitisanelement。Butagainbsubstanceis
  notanelementinrelativeterms,norisanyoftheseanelementin
  substance。Further,2howcanallthingshavethesameelements?For
  noneoftheelementscanbethesameasthatwhichiscomposedof
  elements,e。g。boracannotbethesameasba。None,therefore,of
  theintelligibles,e。g。beingorunity,isanelement;fortheseare
  predicableofeachofthecompoundsaswell。Noneoftheelements,
  then,willbeeitherasubstanceorarelativeterm;butitmustbe
  oneorother。Allthings,then,havenotthesameelements。
  Or,aswearewonttoputit,inasensetheyhaveandina
  sensetheyhavenot;e。g。perhapstheelementsofperceptiblebodies
  are,asform,thehot,andinanothersensethecold,whichisthe
  privation;and,asmatter,thatwhichdirectlyandofitself
  potentiallyhastheseattributes;andsubstancescompriseboththese
  andthethingscomposedofthese,ofwhichthesearetheprinciples,
  oranyunitywhichisproducedoutofthehotandthecold,e。g。flesh
  orbone;fortheproductmustbedifferentfromtheelements。These
  thingsthenhavethesameelementsandprinciplesthoughspecifically
  differentthingshavespecificallydifferentelements;butallthings
  havenotthesameelementsinthissense,butonlyanalogically;
  i。e。onemightsaythattherearethreeprinciples-theform,the
  privation,andthematter。Buteachoftheseisdifferentforeach
  class;e。g。incolourtheyarewhite,black,andsurface,andinday
  andnighttheyarelight,darkness,andair。
  Sincenotonlytheelementspresentinathingarecauses,but
  alsosomethingexternal,i。e。themovingcause,clearlywhile
  ’principle’and’element’aredifferentbotharecauses,and
  ’principle’isdividedintothesetwokinds;andthatwhichactsas
  producingmovementorrestisaprincipleandasubstance。Therefore
  analogicallytherearethreeelements,andfourcausesandprinciples;
  buttheelementsaredifferentindifferentthings,andthe
  proximatemovingcauseisdifferentfordifferentthings。Health,
  disease,body;themovingcauseisthemedicalart。Form,disorder
  ofaparticularkind,bricks;themovingcauseisthebuildingart。
  Andsincethemovingcauseinthecaseofnaturalthingsis-forman,
  forinstance,man,andintheproductsofthoughttheformorits
  contrary,therewillbeinasensethreecauses,whileinasense
  therearefour。Forthemedicalartisinsomesensehealth,andthe
  buildingartistheformofthehouse,andmanbegetsman;further,
  besidesthesethereisthatwhichasfirstofallthingsmovesall
  things。
  Somethingscanexistapartandsomecannot,anditisthe
  formerthataresubstances。Andthereforeallthingshavethesame
  causes,because,withoutsubstances,modificationsandmovementsdo
  notexist。Further,thesecauseswillprobablybesoulandbody,or
  reasonanddesireandbody。
  Andinyetanotherway,analogicallyidenticalthingsare
  principles,i。e。actualityandpotency;butthesealsoarenotonly
  differentfordifferentthingsbutalsoapplyindifferentwaysto
  them。Forinsomecasesthesamethingexistsatonetimeactuallyand
  atanotherpotentially,e。g。wineorfleshormandoesso。And
  thesetoofallundertheabove-namedcauses。Fortheformexists
  actually,ifitcanexistapart,andsodoesthecomplexofformand
  matter,andtheprivation,e。g。darknessordisease;butthematter
  existspotentially;forthisisthatwhichcanbecomequalifiedeither
  bytheformorbytheprivation。Butthedistinctionofactualityand
  potentialityappliesinanotherwaytocaseswherethematterofcause
  andofeffectisnotthesame,insomeofwhichcasestheformis
  notthesamebutdifferent;e。g。thecauseofmanis1the
  elementsinmanviz。fireandearthasmatter,andthepeculiar
  form,andfurther2somethingelseoutside,i。e。thefather,and
  3besidesthesethesunanditsobliquecourse,whichareneither
  matternorformnorprivationofmannorofthesamespecieswithhim,
  butmovingcauses。
  Further,onemustobservethatsomecausescanbeexpressedin
  universalterms,andsomecannot。Theproximateprinciplesofall
  thingsarethe’this’whichisproximateinactuality,andanother
  whichisproximateinpotentiality。Theuniversalcauses,then,of
  whichwespokedonotexist。Foritistheindividualthatisthe
  originativeprincipleoftheindividuals。Forwhilemanisthe
  originativeprincipleofmanuniversally,thereisnouniversalman,
  butPeleusistheoriginativeprincipleofAchilles,andyourfather
  ofyou,andthisparticularbofthisparticularba,thoughbin
  generalistheoriginativeprincipleofbatakenwithout
  qualification。
  Further,ifthecausesofsubstancesarethecausesofallthings,
  yetdifferentthingshavedifferentcausesandelements,aswas
  said;thecausesofthingsthatarenotinthesameclass,e。g。of
  coloursandsounds,ofsubstancesandquantities,aredifferentexcept
  inananalogicalsense;andthoseofthingsinthesamespeciesare
  different,notinspecies,butinthesensethatthecausesof
  differentindividualsaredifferent,yourmatterandformandmoving
  causebeingdifferentfrommine,whileintheiruniversaldefinition
  theyarethesame。Andifweinquirewhataretheprinciplesor
  elementsofsubstancesandrelationsandqualities-whethertheyare
  thesameordifferent-clearlywhenthenamesofthecausesareusedin
  severalsensesthecausesofeacharethesame,butwhenthesenses
  aredistinguishedthecausesarenotthesamebutdifferent,except
  thatinthefollowingsensesthecausesofallarethesame。They
  are1thesameoranalogousinthissense,thatmatter,form,
  privation,andthemovingcausearecommontoallthings;and2
  thecausesofsubstancesmaybetreatedascausesofallthingsin
  thissense,thatwhensubstancesareremovedallthingsareremoved;
  further,3thatwhichisfirstinrespectofcompleterealityisthe
  causeofallthings。Butinanothersensetherearedifferentfirst
  causes,viz。allthecontrarieswhichareneithergenericnor
  ambiguousterms;and,further,themattersofdifferentthingsare
  different。Wehavestated,then,whataretheprinciplesofsensible
  thingsandhowmanytheyare,andinwhatsensetheyarethesame
  andinwhatsensedifferent。