§3.2#12 Ὅτι δʼ ἀναγκαῖον ὑπάρχειν κίνησιν τοῖς ἁπλοῖς σώμασι φύσει τινὰ πᾶσιν, ἐκ τῶνδε δῇλον.
2 That it is necessary for some motion to belong naturally to all simple bodies is clear from the following.
ἐπεὶ γὰρ κινούμενα φαίνεται, κινεῖσθαί γε ἀναγκαῖον βίᾳ, εἰ μὴ οἰκείαν ἔχει κίνησιν· τὸ δὲ βίᾳ καὶ παρὰ φύσιν ταὐτόν.
For since they appear to be moved, they must necessarily be moved by force, if they have no motion of their own; and that which is by force and contrary to nature are the same.
ἀλλὰ μὴν εἰ παρὰ φύσιν ἐστί τις κίνησις, ἀνάγκη εἶναι καὶ κατὰ φύσιν, παρʼ ἣν αὕτη· καὶ εἰ πολλαὶ αἱ παρὰ φύσιν, τὴν κατὰ φύσιν μίαν· κατὰ φύσιν μὲν γὰρ ἀπλῶς, παρὰ φύσιν δʼ ἔχει πολλὰς ἕκαστον.
But indeed, if there is some motion contrary to nature, there must also be one according to nature, contrary to which this one is; and if those contrary to nature are many, the one according to nature must be single; for each thing has only one motion according to nature simply, but many contrary to nature.
ἔτι δὲ καὶ ἐκ τῆς ἠρεμίας δῆλον· καὶ γὰρ ἠρεμεῖν ἀναγκαῖον ἢ βίᾳ ἢ κατὰ φύσιν· βίᾳ δὲ μένει οὗ καὶ φέρεται βίᾳ, καὶ κατὰ φύσιν οὖ κατὰ φύσιν.
Furthermore, this is also clear from rest; for it is necessary to rest either by force or according to nature; and a thing remains by force where it is also carried by force, and according to nature where it is carried according to nature.
ἐπεὶ οὖν φαίνεταί τι μένον ἐπὶ τοῦ μέσου, εἰ μὲν κατὰ φύσιν, δῆλον ὅτι καὶ ἡ φορὰ ἡ ἐνταῦθα κατὰ φύσιν αὐτῷ· εἰ δὲ βίᾳ, τί τὸ φέρεσθαι κωλῦον;
Since, then, something appears remaining at the center, if this is according to nature, it is clear that the movement thither is also according to nature for it; but if it is by force, what is it that prevents it from being carried?
εἰ μὲν ἠρεμοῦν, τὸν αὐτὸν κυκλήσομεν λόγον· ἀνάγκη γὰρ ἢ κατὰ φύσιν εἶναι τὸ πρῶτον ἠρεμοῦν ἢ εἰς ἄπειρον ἰέναι, ὅπερ ἀδύνατον·
If it is something resting, we shall spin the same argument; for it is necessary either that the first resting thing is so according to nature or that we go to infinity, which is impossible.
εἰ δὲ κινούμενον τὸ κωλῦον φέρεσθαι, καθάπερ φησὶν Ἐμπεδσκλῆς τὴν γῆν ὑπὸ τῆς δίνης ἠρεμεῖν, ποῦ ἂν ἐφέρετο, ἐτειδὴ εἰς ἄπειρον ἀδύνατον·
But if the thing preventing the movement is itself moving, just as Empedocles says that the earth rests because of the vortex, whither would it have been carried, since it is impossible to go to infinity?
οὐθὲν γὰρ γίγνεται ἀδύνατον, τὸ δʼ ἄπειρον διελθεῖν ἀδύνατον.
For nothing impossible happens, and to traverse the infinite is impossible.
ὥστʼ ἀνάγκη στῆναί που τὸ φερόμενον, κἀκεῖ μὴ βίᾳ μένειν ἀλλὰ κατὰ φύσιν.
Therefore it is necessary for the moving thing to stop somewhere, and to remain there not by force but according to nature.
εἰ δʼ ἐστὶν ἠρεμία κατὰ φύσιν, ἔστι καὶ κίνησις κατὰ, φύσιν ἡ εἰς τοῦτον τὸν τόπον φορά.
And if there is rest according to nature, there is also motion according to nature, namely the movement to this place.
διὸ καὶ Λευκίππῳ καὶ Δημοκρίτῳ, τοῖς λέγουσιν ἀεὶ κινεῖσθαι τὰ πρῶτα σώματα ἐν τῷ κενῷ καὶ τῷ ἀπείρῳ, λεκτέον τίνα κίνησιν καὶ τίς ἡ κατὰ φύσιν αὐτῶν κίνησις.
Therefore, both to Leucippus and to Democritus, who say that the primary bodies are always moved in the void and the infinite, it must be stated what kind of motion this is and what is their motion according to nature.
εἰ γὰρ ἄλλο ὑπʼ ἄλλου κινεῖται βίᾳ τῶν στοιχείων, ἀλλὰ καὶ κατὰ φύσιν ἀνάγκη τινὰ εἶναι κίνησιν ἑκάστου, παρʼ ἦν ἡ βίαιός ἐστιν· καὶ δεῖ τὴν πρώτην κινοῦσαν μὴ βίᾳ κινεῖν, ἀλλὰ κατὰ φύσιν· εἰς ἄπειρον γὰρ εἶσιν, εἰ μή τι ἔσται κατὰ φύσιν κινοῦν πρῶτον, ἀλλʼ ἀεὶ τὸ πρότερον βίᾳ κινούμενον κινήσει.
For if one of the elements is moved by force by another, yet it is necessary that there also be some motion according to nature for each, contrary to which is the forced one; and the first mover must move not by force, but according to nature; for it will go to infinity unless there is some first thing that moves according to nature, but the prior thing, being itself moved by force, will always move the next.
τὸ αὐτὸ δὲ τοῦτο συμβαίνειν ἀναγκαῖον κἂν εἰ καθάπερ ἐν τῷ Τιμαίῳ γέγραπται, πρὶν γενέσθαι τὸν κόσμον ἐκινεῖτο τὰ στοιχεῖα ἀτάκτως.
And this same thing must necessarily happen even if, as is written in the Timaeus, the elements were moved in disorder before the world came to be.
ἀνάγκη γὰρ ἢ βίαιον εἶναι τὴν κίνησιν ἢ κατὰ φύσιν.
For it is necessary that their motion was either forced or according to nature.
εἰ δὲ κατὰ φύσιν ἐκινεῖτο, ἀνάγκη κόσμον εἶναι, ἐάν τις βούληται θεωρεῖν ἐπιστήσας· τό τε γὰρ πρῶτον κινοῦν ἀνάγκη κινεῖν αὑτό, κινούμενον κατὰ φύσιν, καὶ τὰ κινούμενα μὴ βίᾳ, ἐν τοῖς οἰκείοις ἠρεμοῦντα τόποις, ποιεῖν ἥνπερ ἔχουσι νῦν τάξιν, τὰ μὲν βάρος ἔχοντα ἐπὶ τὸ μέσον, τὰ δὲ κουφότητα ἔχοντα ἀπὸ τοῦ μέσου· ταύτην δʼ ὁ κόσμος ἔχει τὴν διάταξιν.
And if they were moved according to nature, it is necessary that there is a world, if one wishes to consider it with attention; for the first mover must necessarily move itself, being moved according to nature, and the things moved not by force, resting in their proper places, must produce the very order which they now have, those having weight moving towards the center, and those having lightness moving away from the center; and the world has this very arrangement.
ἔτι δὲ τοσοῦτον ἐπανέροιτʼ ἄν τις, πότερον δυνατὸν ἢ οὐχ οἷόν τʼ ἦν κινούμενα ἀτάκτως καὶ μίγνυσθαι τοιαύτας μίξεις ἔνια, ἐξ ὧν συνίσταται τὰ κατὰ φύσιν συνιστάμενα σώματα, λέγω δʼ οἷον ὀστᾶ καὶ σάρκας, καθάπερ Ἐμπεδοκλῆς φησὶ γίνεσθαι ἐπὶ τῆς φιλότητος· λέγει γὰρ ὡς πολλαὶ μὲν κόρσαι ἀναύχενες ἐβλάστησαν. τοῖς δʼ ἄπειρα ἐν ἀπείρῳ τὰ κινούμενα ποιοῦσιν, εἰ μὲν ἓν τὸ κινοῦν, ἀνάγκη μίαν φέρεσθαι φοράν, ὥστʼ οὐκ ἀτάκτως κινηθήσεται, εἰ δʼ ἄπειρα τὰ κινοῦντα, καὶ τὰς φορὰς ἀναγκαῖον ἀπείρους εἶναι·
Furthermore, one might ask this much in addition: whether it was possible or impossible for some things, while being moved in disorder, to mix such mixtures from which bodies that are constituted according to nature are constituted—I mean, for instance, bones and flesh, just as Empedocles says happens under Love; for he says that "many neckless heads sprouted." But for those who make the moving things infinite in the infinite, if the mover is one, they must necessarily be carried in one movement, so that they will not be moved in disorder; but if the movers are infinite, the movements must also be infinite.
εἰ γὰρ 301 a πεπερασμέναι, τάξις τις ἔσται· οὐ γὰρ τῷ μὴ φέρεσθαι εἰς τὸ αὐτὸ ἡ ἀταξία συμβαίνει· οὐδὲ γὰρ νῶν εἰς τὸ αὐτὸ φέρεται πάντα, ἀλλὰ τὰ συγγενῇ μόνον.
For if 301 a they are finite, there will be some order; for disorder does not happen because they are not carried to the same place; for even now not all things are carried to the same place, but only those of the same kind.
ἔτι τὸ ἀτάκτως οὐθέν ἐστιν ἕτερον ἢ τὸ παρὰ φύσιν· ἡ γὰρ τάξις ἡ οἰκεία τῶν αἰσθητῶν φύσις ἐστίν.
Furthermore, to move "in disorder" is nothing other than to move contrary to nature; for the proper order of sensible things is their nature.
ἀλλὰ μὴν καὶ τοῦτο ἄτοπον καὶ ἀδύνατον, τὸ ἄπειρον ἄτακτον ἔχειν κίνησιν· ἔστι γὰρ ἡ φύσις ἐκείνη τῶν πραγμάτων οἴαν ἔχει τὰ πλείω καὶ τὸν πλείω χρόνον·
But indeed, this also is absurd and impossible, for the infinite to have a disordered motion; for the nature of things is that which the majority of them have and for the majority of the time.
συμβαίνειν οὖν αὐτοῖς τοὐναντίον τὴν μὲν ἀταξίαν εἶναι κατὰ φύσιν, τὴν δὲ τάξιν καὶ τὸν κόσμον παρὰ φύσιν· καίτοι οὐδὲν ὡς ἔτυχε γίγνεται τῶν κατὰ φύσιν.
Consequently, the opposite happens to them, namely that disorder is according to nature, and order and the world are contrary to nature; and yet nothing among things according to nature happens by chance.
ἔοικε δὲ τοῦτό γε αὐτὸ καλῶς Ἀναξαγόρας λαβεῖν· ἐξ ἀκινήτων γὰρ ἄρχεται κοσμοποιεῖν.
And Anaxagoras seems to have grasped this very point well; for he begins to construct the world from things at rest.
πειρῶνται δὲ καὶ οἱ ἄλλοι συγκρίνοντές πως πάλιν κινεῖν καὶ διακρίνειν.
But the others also attempt, by combining them in some way, to move them again and to separate them.