Page - 10 - in The Priority of Locomotion in Aristotle’s Physics

1. Introduction What is the connection between a living being coming to be, a blade of grass growing, a leaf changing colour, and my walking from here to there? In each of the four examples a change is described, yet the way in which the respective subject changes is different in all four cases. In fact, each of the examples stands for one of the four respects in which according to Aris- totle change (κίνησις/μεταβολή) may occur.1 Something x may change in respect of substance (κατ᾽ οὐσίαν), quality (κατὰ ποιόν), quantity (κατὰ ποσόν), or place (κατὰ τόπον), that is to say, the subject may undergo generation and corruption (γένεσις καὶ φθορά), alteration (ἀλλοίωσις), growth and diminution (αὔξησις καὶ φθίσις), or locomotion (φορά).2 In Book VIII of the work which we call the Physics, but also in other places, Aristotle claims that of these four types of change the latter, i.e. locomotion, in general should be considered the most important and primary (πρώτη τῶν κινήσεων), in that it has priority over the other types in different ways3, which for instance finds its expression in the fact that according to Aristotle there is no change in quality, quantity, or substance without loco- motion, while the converse does not hold.4 1 Aristotle often uses both κίνησις (motion) and μεταβολή (change) in referring to the four different kinds of change he thinks exist. In Phys. V 1 and 2, however, he explicitly dis- tinguishes the terms from one another: κίνησις only covers the three kinds of non-substantial change, namely change in place, quality, and quantity, while μεταβολή is used as the more general term, and stands for all of the four kinds of change, i.e. for the non-substantial kinds as well as for change with respect to substance (see Phys. V 1, 225a34–b3, V 2, 226a23–25 and 226b8–10). I will use ‘change’ for both κίνησις and μεταβολή where the difference between the terms is of no importance, and render κίνησις as ‘non-substantial change’ when the con- text suggests that κίνησις is restricted to this sense. For more on the different uses of κίνησις vs. μεταβολή see for instance Ross (1936), 7–8, and Waterlow (1982), 93–95. 2 For the four kinds of change see for instance Phys. III 1, 200b33–201a1, and more gener- ally V 1–2. 3 See for instance Phys. VIII 7, 260b15–19, and 261a27. In Phys. VII 2, 243a39–40 and Phys. VIII 7, 260a26–29, Aristotle claims that locomotion is primary with respect to the non- substantial types of change. See also Phys. IV 1, 208a31–32 where Aristotle points out that locomotion is “the most common [κοινὴ μάλιστα] sort of change, and that which is most properly [κυριωτάτη] so called” (Transl. Morison (2002), 11.) Something similar is said in Phys. VIII 9, 266a1–2. For more on the connection between the fact that φορά is the primary and most common kind of change see Morison (2002), 13–15. 4 See Phys. VIII 7, 260b26–29. ISBN Print: 9783525253069 — ISBN E-Book: 9783647253060 © 2014, Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht GmbH & Co. KG, Göttingen