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point, since a process contains an infinity of past events. These questions,
however, must receive a more explicit treatment in our general theory of
change.
The following must suffice as an account of the manner in which the
middle would be identical with the cause on the supposition that coming-to-be
is a series of consecutive events: for in the terms of such a series too the
middle and major terms must form an immediate premiss; e.g. we argue that,
since C has occurred, therefore A occurred: and C’s occurrence was posterior,
A’s prior; but C is the source of the inference because it is nearer to the
present moment, and the starting-point of time is the present. We next argue
that, since D has occurred, therefore C occurred. Then we conclude that, since
D has occurred, therefore A must have occurred; and the cause is C, for since
D has occurred C must have occurred, and since C has occurred A must
previously have occurred.
If we get our middle term in this way, will the series terminate in an
immediate premiss, or since, as we said, no two events are ‘contiguous’, will
a fresh middle term always intervene because there is an infinity of middles?
No: though no two events are ‘contiguous’, yet we must start from a premiss
consisting of a middle and the present event as major. The like is true of
future events too, since if it is true to say that D will exist, it must be a prior
truth to say that A will exist, and the cause of this conclusion is C; for if D
will exist, C will exist prior to D, and if C will exist, A will exist prior to it.
And here too the same infinite divisibility might be urged, since future events
are not ‘contiguous’. But here too an immediate basic premiss must be
assumed. And in the world of fact this is so: if a house has been built, then
blocks must have been quarried and shaped. The reason is that a house having
been built necessitates a foundation having been laid, and if a foundation has
been laid blocks must have been shaped beforehand. Again, if a house will be
built, blocks will similarly be shaped beforehand; and proof is through the
middle in the same way, for the foundation will exist before the house.
Now we observe in Nature a certain kind of circular process of coming-to-
be; and this is possible only if the middle and extreme terms are reciprocal,
since conversion is conditioned by reciprocity in the terms of the proof. This-
the convertibility of conclusions and premisses-has been proved in our early
chapters, and the circular process is an instance of this. In actual fact it is
exemplified thus: when the earth had been moistened an exhalation was
bound to rise, and when an exhalation had risen cloud was bound to form, and
from the formation of cloud rain necessarily resulted and by the fall of rain
the earth was necessarily moistened: but this was the starting-point, so that a
circle is completed; for posit any one of the terms and another follows from it,
207
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book The Complete Aristotle"
The Complete Aristotle
- Title
- The Complete Aristotle
- Author
- Aristotle
- Date
- ~322 B.C.
- Language
- English
- License
- PD
- Size
- 21.0 x 29.7 cm
- Pages
- 2328
- Keywords
- Philosophy, Antique, Philosophie, Antike, Dialogues, Metaphysik, Metaphysics, Ideologie, Ideology, Englisch
- Categories
- Geisteswissenschaften
- International
Table of contents
- 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