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At the beginning of the inquiry we must postulate the principles we are
accustomed constantly to use for our scientific investigation of nature, that is
we must take for granted principles of this universal character which appear
in all Nature’s work. Of these one is that Nature creates nothing without a
purpose, but always the best possible in each kind of living creature by
reference to its essential constitution. Accordingly if one way is better than
another that is the way of Nature. Next we must take for granted the different
species of dimensions which inhere in various things; of these there are three
pairs of two each, superior and inferior, before and behind, to the right and to
the left. Further we must assume that the originals of movements in place are
thrusts and pulls. (These are the essential place-movements, it is only
accidentally that what is carried by another is moved; it is not thought to
move itself, but to be moved by something else.)
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3
After these preliminaries, we go on to the next questions in order.
Now of animals which change their position some move with the whole
body at once, for example jumping animals, others move one part first and
then the other, for example walking (and running) animals. In both these
changes the moving creature always changes its position by pressing against
what lies below it. Accordingly if what is below gives way too quickly for
that which is moving upon it to lean against it, or if it affords no resistance at
all to what is moving, the latter can of itself effect no movement upon it. For
an animal which jumps makes its jump both by leaning against its own upper
part and also against what is beneath its feet; for at the joints the parts do in a
sense lean upon one another, and in general that which pushes down leans
upon what is pushed down. That is why athletes jump further with weights in
their hands than without, and runners run faster if they swing their arms; there
is in extending the arms a kind of leaning against the hands and wrists. In all
cases then that which moves makes its change of position by the use of at
least two parts of the body; one part so to speak squeezes, the other is
squeezed; for the part that is still is squeezed as it has to carry the weight, the
part that is lifted strains against that which carries the weight. It follows then
that nothing without parts can move itself in this way, for it has not in it the
distinction of the part which is passive and that which is active.
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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