Metaphysics

​Anaxagoras makes the good a principle as a mover; for intellect moves. But it moves for the sake of something, so that the end is different, except in the way we say; for medicine is in a sense health. It is also absurd not to make a contrary to the good and to intellect. And all who speak of contraries do not make use of the contraries, unless someone organizes them. And why some things are perishable and others imperishable, no one says; for they make all existing things out of the same principles. Further, some make existing things out of non-existence, while others, in order not to be forced to do this, make all things one.—Further, why there will always be generation and what the cause of generation is, no one says. And for those who make two principles, there must be another, more dominant principle; and for those who make the forms, there is still another, more dominant principle. For why did they participate, or why do they participate? And for the others, there must be something contrary to wisdom, that is, to the most honorable science; but for us, there is not. For there is nothing contrary to the first principle; for all contraries have matter, and these exist potentially; and the contrary ignorance leads to the contrary, but to the first principle nothing is contrary. And if there are to be no other things besides sensible things, there will be no principle, no order, no generation, and no heavenly bodies, but always a principle of a principle, as with all the theologians and natural philosophers. But if the forms or numbers are to exist, they are causes of nothing; or if they are, at least not of movement. Further, how can magnitude and what is continuous come to be from things without magnitude? For number will not make what is continuous, either as a mover or as form. But indeed, none of the contraries will be both productive and motive; for it would be possible for it not to exist. And yet, acting is posterior to potency. Therefore, existing things are not eternal. But they are; therefore, one of these assertions must be rejected. And how this is solved has been said. Further, by what virtue numbers are one, or soul and body, and in general form and the thing, no one says anything; nor is it possible to say, unless one speaks as we do, that the mover makes them so. But those who say that mathematical number is first, and thus always have another succeeding substance and different principles for each, make the substance of the universe episodic (for one substance contributes nothing to another by being or not being) and introduce many principles. But existing things do not wish to be governed badly. “The rule of many is not good; let there be one ruler.”