- Source
- Aristotle. Aristotelis De animalium motione et De animalium incessu. Jaeger, Werner, editor. Leipzig:Teubner, 1913.
- Translation
- AI-generated (gemini-3.5-flash) — machine translation; may contain errors
- Languages
- 日本語 · English · 简体中文 · 한국어
- CTS URN
- urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0086.tlg043.humanitext-grc1:1
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-10-27
The author questions the mechanism of the maintenance and growth of the connate spirit, presenting two possibilities—respiration or digestion—and examines the process and problems of nourishment-derived spirit.
Τίς ἡ τοῦ ἐμφύτου πνεύματος διαμονή, καὶ τίς ἡ αὔξησις; 1 ὁρῶμεν γὰρ ὅτι πλέον καὶ ἰσχυρότερον γίνεται καὶ καθʼ ἡλικίας μεταβολὴν καὶ κατὰ διάθεσιν σώματος. ἢ ὡς τἆλλα μέρη, προσγινομένου τινός; προσγίνεται δὲ τροφὴ τοῖς ἐμψύχοις, ὥστε ταύτην σκεπτέον ποία τε καὶ πόθεν. δύο δὴ τρόποι διʼ ὧν γίνεται, ἢ διὰ τῆς ἀναπνοῆς, ἢ διὰ τῆς κατὰ τὴν τῆς τροφῆς προσφορὰν πέψεως, καθάπερ τοῖς ἄλλοις. τούτων ἴσως οὐχ ἧττον ἂν δόξειεν διὰ τῆς τροφῆς· σῶμα γὰρ ὑπὸ σώματος τρέφεται, τὸ δὲ πνεῦμα σῶμα. τίς οὖν ὁ τρόπος; ἢ δῆλον ὡς ἐκ τῆς φλεβὸς ὁλκῇ τινι καὶ πέψει. τὸ γὰρ αἷμα ἡ ἐσχάτη τροφὴ καὶ ἡ αὐτὴ πᾶσιν. ὥσπερ οὖν καὶ εἰς τὸ ἀγγεῖον αὐτοῦ καὶ εἰς τὸ περιεχόμενον λαμβάνει τροφὴν εἰς τὸ θερμόν.1 ἄγει δʼ ὁ ἀὴρ τὴν ἐνέργειαν ποιῶν, τήν τε πεπτικὴν αὐτὸς αὐτῷ προστιθεὶς αὔξει καὶ τρέφει. οὐδὲν δʼ ἴσως ἄτοπον αὐτό γε τοῦτο, ἀλλὰ γενέσθαι τὸ πρῶτον ἐκ τῆς τροφῆς. καθαρώτερον γὰρ ὃ τῇ ψυχῇ συμφυές, εἰ μὴ καὶ τὴν ψυχὴν ὕστερον λέγοι γίνεσθαι,2 διακρινομένων τῶν σπερμάτων καὶ εἰς φύσιν ἰόντων. εἴτε περίττωμα πάσης τροφῆς ἐστι, ποίᾳ διαπέμπεται τοῦτο; κατὰ μὲν γὰρ τὴν ἐκπνοὴν οὐκ εὔλογον· ἀντιλαμβάνει γὰρ εὐθύς. λοιπὸν δὲ δῆλον ὅτι διὰ τῶν τῆς ἀρτηρίας πόρων. τὸ δʼ ἐκκρινόμενον ἤτοι λεπτότερον ἢ παχύτερον. ἀμφοτέρως δʼ ἄτοπον, εἰ τοῦτο πάντων ἔσται καθαρώτατον. εἰ δὲ παχύτερον, ἔσονταί τινες πόροι μείζους. εἰ δʼ ἄρα κατὰ τοὺς αὐτοὺς λαμβάνει καὶ ἐκπέμπει, τοῦτʼ αὐτὸ παράλογον καὶ ἄτοπον. ἡ μὲν οὖν ἐκ τῆς τροφῆς αὔξησις καὶ διαμονὴ σχεδὸν ταῦτα.
What is the maintenance of the connate spirit, and what is its growth? 1 For we see that it becomes greater and stronger both with the change of age and according to the disposition of the body. Or is it like the other parts, by something being added? Nutrition is added to living things, so that we must consider what kind of nutrition this is and whence it comes. There are indeed two ways in which it occurs: either through respiration, or through the digestion of nourishment during its intake, just as with the other parts. Of these, it would perhaps seem no less due to nourishment; for a body is nourished by a body, and spirit is a body. What then is the method? Or is it clear that it is from the vein by a kind of attraction and digestion? For blood is the ultimate nourishment, and the same for all. Just as, therefore, it receives nourishment both into its vessel and into what is contained, so it does into the heat. And the air, by bringing about the activity, and itself adding the digestive power to itself, increases and nourishes it. But perhaps there is nothing absurd in this itself, but rather that it should first be generated from nourishment. For that which is connate with the soul is purer, unless indeed one were to say that the soul also is generated later, when the seeds are separated and pass into their nature. Or if it is a residue of all nourishment, by what way is this discharged? For on the one hand, to discharge it through exhalation is not reasonable; for it immediately takes in breath again. On the other hand, it remains clear that it is through the pores of the artery. And that which is secreted is either thinner or thicker. In either case it is absurd: if this is to be the purest of all. But if it is thicker, there will be some larger pores. But if indeed it receives and discharges through the same, this very thing is contrary to reason and absurd. This, then, is roughly the situation regarding the growth and maintenance derived from nourishment.
- 481a12ὥσπερ οὖν καὶ εἰς τὸ ἀγγεῖον αὐτοῦ καὶ εἰς τὸ περιεχόμενον λαμβάνει τροφὴν εἰς τὸ θερμόν.
This sentence describes how both the vessel (the blood vessel/artery) and what is contained in it (the spirit itself) receive nourishment "into the heat". The subject of λαμβάνει is understood contextually as either the body, the heat itself, or is used impersonally. "εἰς τὸ θερμόν" indicates the destination where nourishment is received or where digestion takes place.
- 481a17εἰ μὴ καὶ τὴν ψυχὴν ὕστερον λέγοι γίνεσθαι
The optative λέγοι is used in the condition (referring to a general speaker, "unless one were to say"), implying a potential consequence. The participles "διακρινομένων τῶν σπερμάτων..." are in the genitive absolute construction. The argument shows that if the spirit is generated later from nourishment, it would lead to the absurd conclusion that the soul itself is also generated later, at the time when the seeds are separated and develop into their natural state.