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it is gathered in a body, and indeed the difference is so great that in the one
case it might persist the whole day long while in the other it might all
disappear in a moment-as for instance if one were to spread out a cup of water
over a large table. This is the case with the rivers: all the time they are
flowing their water forms a compact mass, but when it arrives at a vast wide
place it quickly and imperceptibly evaporates.
But the theory of the Phaedo about rivers and the sea is impossible. There it
is said that the earth is pierced by intercommunicating channels and that the
original head and source of all waters is what is called Tartarus-a mass of
water about the centre, from which all waters, flowing and standing, are
derived. This primary and original water is always surging to and fro, and so
it causes the rivers to flow on this side of the earth’s centre and on that; for it
has no fixed seat but is always oscillating about the centre. Its motion up and
down is what fills rivers. Many of these form lakes in various places (our sea
is an instance of one of these), but all of them come round again in a circle to
the original source of their flow, many at the same point, but some at a point
opposite to that from which they issued; for instance, if they started from the
other side of the earth’s centre, they might return from this side of it. They
descend only as far as the centre, for after that all motion is upwards. Water
gets its tastes and colours from the kind of earth the rivers happened to flow
through.
But on this theory rivers do not always flow in the same sense. For since
they flow to the centre from which they issue forth they will not be flowing
down any more than up, but in whatever direction the surging of Tartarus
inclines to. But at this rate we shall get the proverbial rivers flowing upwards,
which is impossible. Again, where is the water that is generated and what
goes up again as vapour to come from? For this must all of it simply be
ignored, since the quantity of water is always the same and all the water that
flows out from the original source flows back to it again. This itself is not
true, since all rivers are seen to end in the sea except where one flows into
another. Not one of them ends in the earth, but even when one is swallowed
up it comes to the surface again. And those rivers are large which flow for a
long distance through a lowying country, for by their situation and length they
cut off the course of many others and swallow them up. This is why the Istrus
and the Nile are the greatest of the rivers which flow into our sea. Indeed, so
many rivers fall into them that there is disagreement as to the sources of them
both. All of which is plainly impossible on the theory, and the more so as it
derives the sea from Tartarus.
Enough has been said to prove that this is the natural place of water and not
of the sea, and to explain why sweet water is only found in rivers, while salt
737
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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