Aristotle's Physics: A Revised Text with Introduction and Commentary by W. D. Ross

Table of contents :
Front Cover
Copyright
PREFACE
CONTENTS
BOOKS AND ARTICLES ON THE PHYSICS AND OTHER BOOKS REFERRED TO
INTRODUCTION
I. The Structure of the Physics
II. Aristotle's Natural Philosophy
The Factors of Change—Matter, Form, and Privation.
Nature as Internal Source of Change.
Aristotle's Dynamics.
The Four Causes. Chance. Necessity.
Change.
The Infinite.
Place.
The Void.
Time.
Continuity.
The Paradoxes of Zeno.
The Prime Mover.
The Development of Aristotle's Theology.
III. The Text of the Physics
ES
EP
ET
F
G
H
I
J
K
PHYSICS
ΑΡΙΣΤΟΤΕΛΟΥΣ ΦΥΣΙΚΗ ΑΚΡΟΑΣΙΣ
SIGLA
Α
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
Β
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
Γ
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
Δ
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
Ε
1
2
3
4
5
6
Ζ
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Η
1
2
3
4
5
Θ
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Η (Textus alter)
1
2
3
ANALYSIS
BOOK I
1. The scope and method of the book.
2. Our inquiry is about the number and character of the first principles of nature.
Reality is not one in the way that Eliatics supposed.
3. Refutation of the Elieatics arguments.
4. Statement and examination of the options of the physicists about the principles of natural things.
5. The principles are contraries.
6. The principles are either two or three in number.
7. Our view about the number and nature of the principles.
8. The true opinion removes the difficulty felt by the ancient philosophers.
9. Further reflections on the first principles of nature.
BOOK II
A.
1. Nature and the natural.
B.
2. Distinction of the natural philosopher from the mathematician and the metaphysician.
C. The Conditions of Change.
3. The essential conditions.
4. The opinions of others about chance and spontaneity.
5. Do chance and spontaneity exist? What is chance and what are its characteristics?
6. Distinction between chance and spontaneity, and both and the essential conditions of change.
D. Explanation in Natural Philosophy.
7. The physicist should explain by means of all the four conditions of change.
8. Does nature act for and end?
9. The sense in which necessity is present in natural things.
BOOK III
A. Change.
1. The nature of change.
2. The definition of change confirmed.
3. The mover and the moved.
B. The Infinite.
4. Opinions of the early philosophers.
Main arguments for belief in the infinite.
5. Criticism of the Pythagorean and Platonci belief in a separately existing infinite.
There is no infinite sensible body.
6. That the infinite exists and how it exists.
What the infinite is.
7. The various kinds of infinite.
Which of the four causes the infinite is to be referred to.
8. Refutation of the arguments for an actual infinite.
BOOK IV
A. Place.
1. Does place exist?
Doubts about the nature of place.
2. Is place matter or form?
3. Can a thing be in itself, or a place be in a place?
4. What place is.
5. Corollaries.
B. The Void.
6. The view of others about the void.
7. What 'void' means.
Reflection of the arguments for belief in a void.
8. There is no void separate from bodies.
There is no void occupied by any body.
9. There is no void in bodies.
C. Time
10. Doubts about the existence of time.
Various opinions about the nature of time.
11. What time is. The 'now'.
12. Various attributes of time.
The things that are in time.
13. Definitions of temporal terms.
14. Further reflections about time.
BOOK V
1. Classification of movement and changes.
Classification of changes 'per se'.
2. Classification of movements 'per se'.
The motionless.
3. The meaning of 'together', 'apart', 'touching', 'intermediate', 'successive', 'contiguous', 'continuous'.
4. The unity and diversity of movements.
5. Contrariety of movement.
6. Contrariety of movement and rest.
Contrariety of natural and unnatural movement and rest.
BOOK VI
1. Every continuum consists of continuous and divisible parts.
2. Further proof that every continuum is infinitely divisible.
3. A moment is indivisible, and nothing is moved, or rest, in a moment.
4. Whatever changes is divisible.
Movement is divisible in two ways.
The time, the movement, the being-in-motion, the moving body, and the sphere of movement, are all similarly divisible.
5. Whatever has changed is, as soon as it has changed, in that to which it has changed.
Change is completed at a moment.
There is no first moment or part in the time of a change, and no part of the changing thing that changes first.
6. There is change in any part of the commensurate of any change.
Whatever changes has changed before, and whatever has changed was changing before.
7. The finitude or infinity of movement, of extension, and of the moved.
8. Of coming to rest, and of rest.
A thing that moves a certain distance precisely in a certain time is not for that time at any part of its course.
9. Refutation of Zeno's arguments against the possibility of movement.
10. That which has not parts cannot move.
Can change be infinite?
BOOK VII
1. Whatever is in movement is moved by something.
There is a first movent which is not moved by anything else.
2. The mover and the moved must be in contact.
3. All alternation pertains to sensible qualities.
4. Comparison of movements.
5. The principle of virtual velocities.
BOOK VIII
1. There always has been and always will be movement.
2. Refutation of objections to the eternity of movement.
3. There are things that are sometimes in movement, sometimes at rest.
4. Whatever is in movement is moved by something else.
5. The first movement is not moved by anything outside itself.
The first mover is immovable.
6. The immovable first mover is eternal and one.
The first mover is not moved even incidentally.
The 'primum mobile' is eternal.
7. Locomotion is the primary kind of movement.
No movement or change is continuous except locomotion.
8. Only circular movement can be continuous and infinite.
9. Circular motion is the primary kind of locomotion.
Confirmation of the above doctrines.
10. The firtst mover has no parts or magnitude, and is at the circumference of the universe.
COMMENTARY
BOOK I
CHAPTER 1
CHAPTER 2
CHAPTER 3
CHAPER 4
CHAPER 5
CHAPER 6
CHAPER 7
CHAPER 8
CHAPER 9
BOOK II
CHAPER 1
CHAPER 2
CHAPER 3
CHAPER 4
CHAPER 5
CHAPER 6
CHAPER 7
CHAPER 8
CHAPER 9
BOOK III
CHAPER 1
CHAPER 2
CHAPER 3
CHAPER 4
CHAPER 5
CHAPER 6
CHAPER 7
CHAPER 8
BOOK IV
CHAPER 1
CHAPER 2
CHAPER 3
CHAPER 4
CHAPER 5
CHAPER 6
CHAPER 7
CHAPER 8
CHAPER 9
CHAPER 10
CHAPER 11
CHAPER 12
CHAPER 13
CHAPER 14
BOOK V
CHAPER 1
CHAPER 2
CHAPER 3
CHAPER 4
CHAPER 5
CHAPER 6
BOOK VI
CHAPER 1
CHAPER 2
CHAPER 3
CHAPER 4
CHAPER 5
CHAPER 6
CHAPER 7
CHAPER 8
CHAPER 9
CHAPER 10
BOOK VII
CHAPER 1
CHAPER 2
CHAPER 3
CHAPER 4
CHAPER 5
BOOK VIII
CHAPER 1
CHAPER 2
CHAPER 3
CHAPER 4
CHAPER 5
CHAPER 6
CHAPER 7
CHAPER 8
CHAPER 9
CHAPER 10
Second Version of VII. 1-3
CHAPER 1
CHAPER 2
CHAPER 3
INDEXES
INDEX VERBORUM
INDEX TO THE INDRODUCTION AND COMMENTARY

Citation preview

API~TOTEAOT~ T~IKH AKPOA~I~

ARISTOTLE'S PHYSICS A REVISED TEXT WITH INTRODUCTION AND COMMENTARY

BY

w. D. ROSS PROVOST OF ORIEL COLLEGE

OXFORD AT THE CLARENDON PRESS 193 6

OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS AlItEN HOUSE, E.C. 4 London Edinburgh Glasgow New York Toronto Melbourne Capetown Bombay Calculla Madras Shanghai

HUMPHREY MILFORD PUBLISHER TO THE UNIVERSITY

PRINTED IN GREAT BRITAIN

PREFACE THE Physics has always been recognized to be one of the most important of Aristotle's works, and it is therefore rather surprising that, until the appearance of Wicks teed and Corn ford's ed ition, no edition with an introduction and commentary had been produced in modern times. The need of such an edition was brought home to me when I was engaged in preparing for publication the translation by R. P. Hardie and R. K. Gaye; and the task of an editor had been facilitated by the Berlin Academy's editions of the paraphrase by Themistius and of the commentaries of Philoponus and Simplicius. I had some hopes that new light might be thrown on the text by a collation of the hitherto neglected Vienna MS. Gr. 100; but these have hardly been realized, since that MS. does not preserve many good read ings that were not already known to exist in other M55. More light has in fact been derived from a study of the three Greek commentators. lowe much to the careful and scholarly work of Messrs. Hardie and Gaye; and at an earlier stage I learned much in the pleasant hours spe nt I in reading the PhYSICS as a member of the Oxford Aristotelian Society, under the guidance of such consummate Aristotelians as Professors Bywater, Smith, and Joachim. I have vari ed the plan adopted in my edition of the Meta· phys,cs, by printing the analysis continuously instead of prefixing it to the several chapters; I hope that this will make it easier for readers to follow th e course of the magnificently continuous argument which runs, in particular, through books v, vi, and viii. It would have been possible, and might have been profitable, to make the Introduction much longer, by attempting to discuss more fully the philosophical merits of Aristotle's argument and of the resultant doctrines; but I thought that the interests of readers would on the whole be better served by keeping the work within the limits of a single volume. I have tried to supply, in text and commentary, the foundation on which such a discussion by others may be based.

VI

PREFACE

wish to acknowledge with gratitude the provIsion by the Jowett Copyright Fund of a subsidy which has assisted the publication of the book, and to thank the officers and staff of the Clarendon Press for the care they have bestowed on its production . I would also thank Mr. D. J. Allan, Fellow of Balliol College, for his kindness in looking up some doubtful readings of the Paris MSS. 1859 and 1861.

W. D.R.

CONTENTS BOOKS REFERRED TO

viii

INTRODUCTION: 1. II.

III.

THE STRUCTURE OF THE PHYSI CS

ARISTOTLE' S NATURAL PHILOSOPHY. THE TEXT OF THE PHYSICS

I

19 102

PHYS ICS: TEXT

"9

SIGLA

120

SECOND VERSION OF

vii

1- 3

ANALYSI S . COMMENTARY

INDEXES: INDEX VERBORUM

733

I NDEX TO THE INTRODUCTION AND COMMENTARY

748

BOOKS AND AR TI CLES ON T H E PHYSi CS AND OTHER BOOKS REFERRED TO (This list is meant only to facilitate reference, and does not aim at completeness.) A.C.P. = Arthiv fur Geschickte dey PhilosofJltie. J.P. ~ Jolt",al oj Philology. R./lII.M. = Revue de Alttapltysique ct de Morale. R.P. = Revue Ph£losojJhique. Aldus Manut ius : Arist. v ita foX Laerlio . .. Aris!. de pltys. audiltl . Ven. 1497· Arnim, H. von: Die EntstelZ1mg d. Gotltslehre d. Arts!. Wien, 1931. Baumker, C: Vum eilltiiche Arist. Z eugnisse iJber Anarimalldros' AI1EIPON, i"Jaltro.J. CI. Pltilol . [31 ([885 ),827- 32. Bekker, I: Arisl. Opera . Berol., 1831 . Bergson, H.: Quid Arist. de loco senserit. Paris, 1889. Bonitz, H.: Arisl. Sludiefl. i. ii- :ii, iv. Wien, 1862,1863, 1866. Bonitz, H : Inder Arist. BeroL, 1870. Brandis, C. A.! Comment. E/eatieae. Al:ona, 1813. Burnet, J.: Early Creek Philosophy, ed. 3. Lond . 1920. Bywater, I.: A ristotelia ii, v, in J. P . xiv (1885), 41 and xxxi (1913), 10 7. Camoti~s, J. B. : Anst. de pltys. auscultalione,&c. Ven.I5SI . Carteron, H.: La Notion de Force dans Ie Systeme ti' Arist. Paris, 1924. Carleron, H.: An·st. Pltys. Paris, 1926, 1931. Comford, F. M.: Til e Laws of !vlotion in Ancient Thought. Camb., 1931. Cornford, F. M.: Arist. Pltys., 25011 9-19 and 266:" 12 - 24, in Class. Quart., xxvi (1932), 52- 4. Dickerman, S. 0.: Some Stock Illustrations of Am'mal Intel/igmee Greek Psychology, in Trans . oj American Plt~'lol. Assocn. xlii (191 I), 12 3-3 0 • Diels, H. : Doxog rajJhi Gratei. Berol., 1879. D ieJs, H.: Zur Te:rtgesclticJtle ti. Arisl. Pltys. Berlin, 1882. Diels, H. : Fragmenle d. Vm'sokratiker, ed . 3. Berlin, 1912. Edel, A.: Aristotle's Theory oftlte Infinite. New York, 1934. Emminger, A. : Die 'llorsokratiscltm PltilosojJlten n(Uk d. Bericltlen d . Arist. Wtirzburg, 1878 . Erasmus, D.: Arist. .. . Opera. Basil., 1531.

i,.,

BOOKS AND ARTICLES ON THE PHYSICS

IX

Frohlings, A.: Die Begnl1e Dynamis 11. Energie d. Ansi. 'II. d. tnodeYllm pl,ysiJ.:alisdrm Hegriffi d. Kraft 11. Energie. Koblenz, 1929. Gagnebin, S. : Un ApeyfU de la Physique d' Arist. Lausanne, 1934. Gohlke, P.: Die Entstdumgsgesclticlzte d. natu1"-dlisst1Zscnajliid,nt Scltnflen d. Arlst., in Hn7nu Iix (1924), 274-306. Goldbeck, E.: Die gto8e1llriscne Lekre d. Arist, 11. inre Auj16mng. Berlin, 1911.

Goltschlich, E.: Zlir Phys. d. Arist., in Jahrb. f. Ct. Philol. CV (1872), 618- 20 and cvii (1873), 109-10. Guthrie, W. K. C.: Tlte Droe/oplllmt of Arisl.'s Tlu%O, in Class. Qllart. xxvii (1933), 162-7 1, xxviii (1934), 90-8. Haas, A . E : Die Gnmdlagm d. anliken Dynamik, in Arch. d. Cud,. d. Na turwislencltajlen 11. d. Teclmik i (1908), 19- 47. Hamelin, 0.: La Na t ure eI Ie MouvmzeJtt d'apres Adst., in R.P. Ixxxvii ( 19 19),353-68 . H amelin, 0.: Arist. Phys. ii - Traduction el Commentaire, cd. 2. Paris,

'93 " j. H. and Greenhill, G. : Prof TUrlle1' and Arist., in Nature, Hardcastle, xcii (19 13- 14), 584- 5. Hardcastle. j. I-f.: Aristotle's Physics, in h'ature xci ii (1~,jl4), 428. Hardie, R. P. and Caye, R. K.: Translation of Pltysicr. Oxford, 1930. Hayduck, M.: Belftcr/mngen zur Phys. d. Arist. Greifswald, 1871. Hayduck, M.: Ooservatiolles Critical! in aii'lllot locos Arisl. Greifswald, I8n Heath, D. D.: 011 some Misconceptions oj Arist.'s doctrine on Causall01' and TO (J~TOJA(J"O~, in J.P. vii (I877 ), 97- 115. Heidel, W. A.: Qualitative Change in Pre-Socratic Philosophy, in A.C.P. xix (1906), 55 3-79. Hoffmann, E . : De Arist. Pltys. sept:mi libri origine at auctor/tate. Berol., 1905. Hoffmann, E.: De Arist. Pltys. libn: sejJtimi forma, I, II. Friedenau, 1908- in referring forward to Phys. vi (An. Post. 95b lI), and in referring back to Phys. vi (Phys. 263' lI, De Caelo 272" 30, 299' 10, De Sensu 445' 19, Met. I049b 36), and to Phys. viii (De Caelo 275' 22, De Gen. et Carr. 318& 3). He also uses th e phrase 'Ta. '1t'£pl. xpovou KQt KUI~U(W'> in referring back to Plrys. vi (De Cado 303" 23)' Further, he uses the phrase Ta 7TCpl. TO.'; rlpXas in referring back to Phys. iii (De Caelo 274& 21). He also uses the words TO. 1Tfpl CPVCTfWfj; in referring back to the De Caelo (Met. 9ag" 24). Bonitz quotes Met. 1073" 32, and (with hesitation) Met. I042b 8, lo62 b 31, 1086& 23, as also referring to the De Caelo and the De Ge1l. el Carr. by the litle TO VlJULI, oX7]CTtS', 8lVl]eTtS', but expounds them in the order w;;nr; (So 26- 8), 0X'7Ut.. (& 28-b 23), ,~" (b 23- 9), Oiv~'m (b 29- 244" 17), which obscures th e point clearly brought out in a that lAb, and '''''' are logically prior to 0XYJCTtS and UII1JCTLS. (2) In a 243b 12-15 ;/(7J'lfO~, 7t'TV(Tt'ii, and the ('(Kpt'TlKal Ktvt1Ut:l~ are rightly described as forms of """. In f3 243 b 25-7 they are absurdly described as 1A~",. (But this should perhaps be emended by excising f'A~t:t~ and understanding KlV7}U£t~ with at Aonra{.) (3) f3 245 b 26-7 puts less accurately what is better stated in b 0. 245 9- 11. (4) f3 246. 22-b 21 is rather a jejune restatement of what is stated more fully, and in a thoroughly Aristotelian way, in

a 246& r_b 4.

(5) (6)

I

f3 247" 28- b 21 is similarly related to a 247 b 1-7. f3 has several un·Aristotelian phrases :-

iv -r?J CJ.v-rV /CQT7JYop{?- n]~ ovu{Q~ ~ TOU y£vov~ 242b 4· il1T'£p -rij'i cpopO.~ for 1iEpl n]'i cpopO.'i in 243& 10 creates some suspicion. This use of inrlp is found thrice in the Categories, five times in th e Topics, and five times in the NicomacJzean Ethics, and nowhere else in Aristotle's genuine works. But it is common in the Magna Moralia and in the Rhetorica ad Alexandrutn. It is a late use; where it occurs in genuine works of Aristotle it is probably due to corruption, and where it exists in a work of unknown date it is an argument for lateness. -ro Tij~ ruOtWUEW~ 245& 20, 246a 29, b 26, 248b 27, 'TO Tij~ -,]Bovij~ 2478.25,27 . 'TO n1~ i1iur"lfLTf~ ib. 30. This seems to be found, in

genuine works of Aristotle, only in De Resp. 472b 9, and it is a late and feeble idiom.

THE STRUCTURE OF THE PHYSICS 15 b ly Tn TIj~ brt~p.." .. V1T'aPXll 247 29 and yivrrraL v~q,wv 7T'po