ARISTOTLE AND THE EARLIER PERIPATETICS vol.I by Eduard Zeller, B.F.C.Costelloe 1897

Kal
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METAPHYSICS 355
not only to the man of learning when he is conceived as
not actually engaged in scientific activity, but also to
the learner, and even to man in general. But the
sense in each case varies, and we have to distinguish
between the degrees of proximity to kviprfsia}
Nothing
attains the realisation of that which it had at first the
mere capacity to be, except by degrees ;
and in the' universe
at large there are an infinite number of intermediate
stages between mere Potentiality or the first Matler,
and complete Actuality, which is pure Form or God.
Now in the phenomenal world, Form presents itself
under the aspect of a threefold principle of causality,
while Matter contains the ground of all impressibility
and of all incompleteness, of natural necessity and chance.
Aristotle is in the habit of enumerating four kinds
of Cause 2 —the material, the conceptual or formal,
the
efficient and the final. 3 These, however, on closer
1
Gen. An. ii. 1, 735, a, 9: Metaph. v. 1, 1013, a, 17: iraaZv
dyyvrepu tie Kal iroppwTepto a'jrb /jtev oZv KOtvbv tuiv apx^v rb irp&Toy
aitTov evtiexerat elvai tivftdfiei, wir-nep elvat '68ev f) eOTiv ^ yiyverai fj
6 Kadevtiojv yeaifierpris toO iyptjyop- yiyvtixTKiTai ' tovtwv tie al /xev
6 ros TToppaiTepa Kal oZtoz rov dewp- evuirdpxovaal elaw al tie £kt6s.
ovvtos. Anal. Post. i. 2, 72, a, 6 ; Top. iv.
2 Apxai. On the meaning of 1, 121, b, 9.
3
this expression see Metaph. v. 1, Phys. ii. 3, 194, b, 23 : eva
with the comments of SCHWEG- juep, oZv rpSirov aXriov \eyerai rb e|
LBKandBONITZ, and also xi.lfia., ol yii/eral ri evviripxovTos, olov
Gen. et Corr. i. 7, 324, a, 27, Phys. xa^K'>s T0" avtipiivTos, &c. aWov
i. 5, 188, a, 27, viii. 1 fin., Gen. An. tie rb ettos Kal rb irapitieiyfia tovto
•
V. 7, 788, a, 14; also Poet. 0. 7,1450, ti' iarlv d \6yos 6 rov ri i/v ehai
b,27; Waitz, Arist. Org i.457 sq., Kal ra toiitou ylvi\ [i.e. the classes
the Ind. Arist. under apxb, and above it] ... m oBev ri apxh ttjs
p. 247, n, 2, svpra. 'Apxh indicates neTaf3o\rjs v irpiuTjj % rrjs ^pe^aeas
the iirst in every series, and in ... en dts rb re\os tovto • 5' iorl
this sense it is used for all kinds t6 ov evexa (= Metaph. v. 2);
of causes, but more especially of 195, a, 15 : one class of causes is
first causes, i.e. such as are de- as rb i£ ov afr-m, and of these ri.
ducible from no higher. Cf. p.ev as rb xnroKeipevov, ra 5c us t6
AA 2
856 ARISTOTLE
inspection, are found to be resolvable into the two first
mentioned. The concept of a thing is not different
from its end, since to realise an end is to actualise a
concept. But it is likewise possible to identify the
concept with the efficient cause, whether it sets the
thing in motion from within as its soul, or whether the
motion comes from without. Even in the latter case it
is the conception of the thing which produces motion,
alike in works of nature and of art. Only man can
beget man.
Only the conception of health can determine
tbe physician to labour in producing health. 1
ri i)v elvui; next we have causes
o9ev r)
&pxb
T?) s fiera$o\TJs %
(Trdfreus Kal Kivi)o-ews ; lastly rb
re\os KaX raya86v. Metaph. i. 3
init. : rb. 8' aXrta Xeyerai rerpaxs,
ay fi ! av fiev airiav (pa/l€v elyai ri]V
outrlay Kal rb ri y)v elvai . . . irepav
5e ry\v v\t\v Kal rb inroKeifie/jiov,
rptrrjv 5e o'9ey 7) apxi) Tr ) s Kivrifftws,
rerdprrji/ 8e avriKeifievrjy airiav
ravrri, rb oZ eveKa Kal raya$6v.
Ibid, viii. 4, 1044, a, 32, Anal.
Post. ii. 11 init., De Somno, 2, 455,
b, 14, Gen. An. i. 1 init , v. 1, 778,
b, 7, and elsewhere ; cf. 2nd.
Arist. 22, b, 29. On the different
terms used for the four causes,
i bid. and Waitz, Arist. Org. ii.
407; on what follows, Eittee, iii.
1G6 sqq. The further modifications
of the doctrine of the four
causes in Phys. ii. 3, 195, a, 26
sq. (cf. Metaph. v. 2, 1013, b, 2S),
are unimportant, as is also the
distinction of the ou eVe/cn into
person and thing, on which cf . De
An. ii. 4, 415, b, 2 : rb 8' ov eVe/ca
Strrbv, rb flee ou rb Se .
See also
Phys. ii. 2, 194, a, 35, and Metaph.
xii. 7, 1072, b, 2 (where we must
read SVti yap rivl rb 08 cVekci koI
In like
nv6s—the end is in the one
case to heal the sicli, and in the
other to establish health").
1
Phys. ii. 7, 198, a, 24 :
%PX*rai 8e tb rpia eis rb %v
lreWaKis rb fiiy yap ri iffrt Kal
rb ov iv&Ka 'iv eVti [cf. 198, b, 3],
rb 8' '68ey t\ kivthtis irpurov t$
eXSei ravrb rovrois ' afdpunros yap
&pBpanrov yivya. Cf. i. 7, 190, b,
17 sq. I)e An. ii. 4, 415, b, 7
etrri 8e r) tyvx^l T°v C® VT0S o-up.aros
alria Kal apx'h- ravra 8e TroWax&s
\4yerat. 6/jlo'iojs 5'
?; tyuxb Kara
robs StajpLCfievous rpoirous rpets
'
atria yap oBev r) kIvtjo-is airri,
Kal ou eVe/ca, Kal us 7) ovffia rav
efi\f/ix