Page - 204 - in The Priority of Locomotion in Aristotle’s Physics

use a more metaphorical rendering—drives the respective thing out of its essence (ἐξίστησι τῆς οὐσίας).80 This, of course, does not mean that every alteration leads to a change in substance, but only such as involve an affec- tion’s becoming too extreme. This fits perfectly with the example of the fever. My temperature usually does not increase beyond a certain limit, and after a while it drops again. But if the alteration were to continue and exceeded this limit, this would lead to my death. The same case can be made for becoming too cold. The mere fact that I become colder usually does not lead to my corruption; this only happens if the change continues and my body temperature falls below its natural limit. To put what I just stated more generally, one may say that in undergoing an alteration x is departing from its essence in the sense that x is engaging in a kind of change that, were it to continue, would lead to x’s change in essence. Alteration may be said to be responsible for its subject departing from its essence, as it in principle may, but does not have to, result in a change in essence. Something similar may be said about change in quantity. Usually, under- going growth or diminution does not result in the respective subject depart- ing from its essence, but as for alteration one may think of cases in which it would. If such a change in size continues for too long and exceeds its nat- ural limits it may also result in the subject’s corruption. I have already men- tioned that for Aristotle natural growth aims at reaching the full magnitude that is specific to the growing thing’s nature and essence.81 Thus, if some- thing keeps on growing and exceeds this natural limit, it no longer fulfils its essence and in this sense is no longer the substance it was before, in other words, it has changed in essence. Although Aristotle is not that explicit about diminution, it is clear that this kind of change in quantity, if it continues and exceeds a specific natural limit, may result in its subject’s change in essence. As I already mentioned, growth is characterized as a change “towards the complete magnitude”82 that is specific to a living thing’s essence and nature, while diminution should be considered as a change away (ἔκστασις) from this natural mag- nitude.83 Therefore, diminution can also lead to a complete loss of the mag- nitude that is specific to the thing according to its essence. Such a case, however, clearly would be a change in substance, since the essence would no longer be fulfilled. Phrasing this in a more general way, we may say that in undergoing growth or diminution x is departing from its essence in the sense that x is 80 πᾶν γὰρ πάθος μᾶλλον γινόμενον ἐξίστησι τῆς οὐσίας, Top. VI 6, 145a4. 81 For this and also for diminution see section 7.2.4.2. 82 ἡ [scil. κίνησις] μὲν εἰς τὸ τέλειον μέγεθος αὔξησις, Phys. V 2, 226a31–32. 83 Again see Phys. V 2, 226a31–32, and Phys. VI 10, 241a33–b2. 204 Locomotion is prior in essence ISBN Print: 9783525253069 — ISBN E-Book: 9783647253060 © 2014, Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht GmbH & Co. KG, Göttingen