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and the reason why the stars in the upper region impart heat to the earth and
its neighbourhood. Let us first treat of the air, as we proposed, and then go on
to these questions.
Since water is generated from air, and air from water, why are clouds not
formed in the upper air? They ought to form there the more, the further from
the earth and the colder that region is. For it is neither appreciably near to the
heat of the stars, nor to the rays relected from the earth. It is these that
dissolve any formation by their heat and so prevent clouds from forming near
the earth. For clouds gather at the point where the reflected rays disperse in
the infinity of space and are lost. To explain this we must suppose either that
it is not all air which water is generated, or, if it is produced from all air alike,
that what immediately surrounds the earth is not mere air, but a sort of vapour,
and that its vaporous nature is the reason why it condenses back to water
again. But if the whole of that vast region is vapour, the amount of air and of
water will be disproportionately great. For the spaces left by the heavenly
bodies must be filled by some element. This cannot be fire, for then all the
rest would have been dried up. Consequently, what fills it must be air and the
water that surrounds the whole earth-vapour being water dissolved.
After this exposition of the difficulties involved, let us go on to lay down
the truth, with a view at once to what follows and to what has already been
said. The upper region as far as the moon we affirm to consist of a body
distinct both from fire and from air, but varying degree of purity and in kind,
especially towards its limit on the side of the air, and of the world surrounding
the earth. Now the circular motion of the first element and of the bodies it
contains dissolves, and inflames by its motion, whatever part of the lower
world is nearest to it, and so generates heat. From another point of view we
may look at the motion as follows. The body that lies below the circular
motion of the heavens is, in a sort, matter, and is potentially hot, cold, dry,
moist, and possessed of whatever other qualities are derived from these. But it
actually acquires or retains one of these in virtue of motion or rest, the cause
and principle of which has already been explained. So at the centre and round
it we get earth and water, the heaviest and coldest elements, by themselves;
round them and contiguous with them, air and what we commonly call fire. It
is not really fire, for fire is an excess of heat and a sort of ebullition; but in
reality, of what we call air, the part surrounding the earth is moist and warm,
because it contains both vapour and a dry exhalation from the earth. But the
next part, above that, is warm and dry. For vapour is naturally moist and cold,
but the exhalation warm and dry; and vapour is potentially like water, the
exhalation potentially like fire. So we must take the reason why clouds are not
formed in the upper region to be this: that it is filled not with mere air but
rather with a sort of fire.
710
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Buch The Complete Aristotle"
The Complete Aristotle
- Titel
- The Complete Aristotle
- Autor
- Aristotle
- Datum
- ~322 B.C.
- Sprache
- englisch
- Lizenz
- PD
- Abmessungen
- 21.0 x 29.7 cm
- Seiten
- 2328
- Schlagwörter
- Philosophy, Antique, Philosophie, Antike, Dialogues, Metaphysik, Metaphysics, Ideologie, Ideology, Englisch
- Kategorien
- Geisteswissenschaften
- International
Inhaltsverzeichnis
- Part 1; Logic (Organon) 3
- Categories 4
- On Interpretation 34
- Prior Analytics, Book I 56
- Prior Analytics, Book II 113
- Posterior Analytics, Book I 149
- Posterior Analytics, Book II 193
- Topics, Book I 218
- Topics, Book II 221
- Topics, Book III 237
- Topics, Book IV 248
- Topics, Book V 266
- Topics, Book VI 291
- Topics, Book VII 317
- Topics, Book VIII 326
- On Sophistical Refutations 348
- Part 2; Universal Physics 396
- Physics, Book I 397
- Physics, Book II 415
- Physics, Book III 432
- Physics, Book IV 449
- Physics, Book V 481
- Physics, Book VI 496
- Physics, Book VII 519
- Physics, Book VIII 533
- On the Heavens, Book I 570
- On the Heavens, Book II 599
- On the Heavens, Book III 624
- On the Heavens, Book IV 640
- On Generation and Corruption, Book I 651
- On Generation and Corruption, Book II 685
- Meteorology, Book I 707
- Meteorology, Book II 733
- Meteorology, Book III 760
- Meteorology, Book IV 773
- Part 3; Human Physics 795
- On the Soul, Book I 796
- On the Soul, Book II 815
- On the Soul, Book III 840
- On Sense and the Sensible 861
- On Memory and Reminiscence 889
- On Sleep and Sleeplessness 899
- On Dreams 909
- On Prophesying by Dreams 918
- On Longevity and the Shortness of Life 923
- On Youth, Old Age, Life and Death, and Respiration 929
- Part 4; Animal Physics 952
- The History of Animals, Book I 953
- The History of Animals, Book II translated 977
- The History of Animals, Book III 1000
- The History of Animals, Book IV 1029
- The History of Animals, Book V 1056
- The History of Animals, Book VI 1094
- The History of Animals, Book VII 1135
- The History of Animals, Book VIII 1150
- The History of Animals, Book IX 1186
- On the Parts of Animals, Book I 1234
- On the Parts of Animals, Book II 1249
- On the Parts of Animals, Book III 1281
- On the Parts of Animals, Book IV 1311
- On the Motion of Animals 1351
- On the Gait of Animals 1363
- On the Generation of Animals, Book I 1381
- On the Generation of Animals, Book II 1412
- On the Generation of Animals, Book III 1444
- On the Generation of Animals, Book IV 1469
- On the Generation of Animals, Book V 1496
- Part 5; Metaphysics 1516
- Part 6; Ethics and Politics 1748
- Nicomachean Ethics, Book I 1749
- Nicomachean Ethics, Book II 1766
- Nicomachean Ethics, Book III 1779
- Nicomachean Ethics, Book IV 1799
- Nicomachean Ethics, Book V 1817
- Nicomachean Ethics, Book VI 1836
- Nicomachean Ethics, Book VII 1851
- Nicomachean Ethics, Book VIII 1872
- Nicomachean Ethics, Book IX 1890
- Nicomachean Ethics, Book X 1907
- Politics, Book I 1925
- Politics, Book II 1943
- Politics, Book III 1970
- Politics, Book IV 1997
- Politics, Book V 2023
- Politics, Book VI 2053
- Politics, Book VII 2065
- Politics, Book VIII 2091
- The Athenian Constitution 2102
- Part 7; Aesthetic Writings 2156