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the diviner, or to some similarity to our own members, such as the parts of a
statue possess; or we may take the contrary spatial order, calling right that
which is to our left, and left that which is to our right. We observe, however,
in the things themselves none of these distinctions; indeed if they are turned
round we proceed to speak of the opposite parts as right and left, a boy land
below, front and back. Hence it is remarkable that the Pythagoreans should
have spoken of these two principles, right and left, only, to the exclusion of
the other four, which have as good a title as they. There is no less difference
between above and below or front and back in animals generally than
between right and left. The difference is sometimes only one of function,
sometimes also one of shape; and while the distinction of above and below is
characteristic of all animate things, whether plants or animals, that of right
and left is not found in plants. Further, inasmuch as length is prior to breadth,
if above is the principle of length, right of breadth, and if the principle of that
which is prior is itself prior, then above will be prior to right, or let us say,
since ‘prior’ is ambiguous, prior in order of generation. If, in addition, above
is the region from which movement originates, right the region in which it
starts, front the region to which it is directed, then on this ground too above
has a certain original character as compared with the other forms of position.
On these two grounds, then, they may fairly be criticized, first, for omitting
the more fundamental principles, and secondly, for thinking that the two they
mentioned were attributable equally to everything.
Since we have already determined that functions of this kind belong to
things which possess, a principle of movement, and that the heaven is animate
and possesses a principle of movement, clearly the heaven must also exhibit
above and below, right and left. We need not be troubled by the question,
arising from the spherical shape of the world, how there can be a distinction
of right and left within it, all parts being alike and all for ever in motion. We
must think of the world as of something in which right differs from left in
shape as well as in other respects, which subsequently is included in a sphere.
The difference of function will persist, but will appear not to by reason of the
regularity of shape. In the same fashion must we conceive of the beginning of
its movement. For even if it never began to move, yet it must possess a
principle from which it would have begun to move if it had begun, and from
which it would begin again if it came to a stand. Now by its length I mean the
interval between its poles, one pole being above and the other below; for two
hemispheres are specially distinguished from all others by the immobility of
the poles. Further, by ‘transverse’ in the universe we commonly mean, not
above and below, but a direction crossing the line of the poles, which, by
implication, is length: for transverse motion is motion crossing motion up and
down. Of the poles, that which we see above us is the lower region, and that
601
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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