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coming from the individual Socrates does not, or vice versa, then the result is
that male children are produced resembling the mother and female children
resembling the father.
If again the movements be resolved, if the male character remain but the
movement coming from the individual Socrates be resolved into that of the
father of Socrates, the result will be a male child resembling its grandfather or
some other of its more remote ancestors in the male line on the same
principle. If the male principle be prevailed over, the child will be female and
resembling most probably its mother, but, if the movement coming from the
mother also be resolved, it will resemble its mother’s mother or the
resemblance will be to some other of its more remote ancestors in the female
line on the same principle.
The same applies also to the separate parts, for often some of these take
after the father, and others after the mother, and yet others after some of the
remoter ancestors. For, as has been often said already, some of the movements
which form the parts exist in the semen actually and others potentially. We
must grasp certain fundamental general principles, not only that just
mentioned (that some of the movements exist potentially and others actually),
but also two others, that if a character be prevailed over it changes into its
opposite, and, if it be resolved, is resolved into the movement next allied to it
—if less, into that which is near, if more, into that which is further removed.
Finally, the movements are so confused together that there is no resemblance
to any of the family or kindred, but the only character that remains is that
common to the race, i.e. it is a human being. The reason of this is that this is
closely knit up with the individual characteristics; ‘human being’ is the
general term, while Socrates, the father, and the mother, whoever she may be,
are individuals.
The reason why the movements are resolved is this. The agent is itself
acted upon by that on which it acts; thus that which cuts is blunted by that
which is cut by it, that which heats is cooled by that which is heated by it, and
in general the moving or efficient cause (except in the case of the first cause
of all) does itself receive some motion in return; e.g. what pushes is itself in a
way pushed again and what crushes is itself crushed again. Sometimes it is
altogether more acted upon than is the thing on which it acts, so that what is
heating or cooling something else is itself cooled or heated; sometimes having
produced no effect, sometimes less than it has itself received. (This question
has been treated in the special discussion of action and reaction, where it is
laid down in what classes of things action and reaction exist.) Now that which
is acted on escapes and is not mastered by the semen, either through
deficiency of power in the concocting and moving agent or because what
1478
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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