§3.1#1Ἐπεὶ δʼ ἡ φύσις μέν ἐστιν ἀρχὴ κινήσεως καὶ μεταβολῆς, ἡ δὲ μέθοδος ἡμῖν περὶ φύσεώς ἐστι, δεῖ μὴ λανθάνειν τί ἐστι κίνησις· ἀναγκαῖον γὰρ ἀγνοουμένης αὐτῆς ἀγνοεῖσθαι καὶ τὴν φύσιν.
Since nature is a principle of motion and change, and our inquiry is about nature, we must not fail to understand what motion is; for if it is unknown, nature too is necessarily unknown.
διορισαμένοις δὲ περὶ κινήσεως πειρατέον τὸν αὐτὸν ἐπελθεῖν τρόπον περὶ τῶν ἐφεξῆς.
And when we have defined motion, we must attempt to go over what follows in the same way.
δοκεῖ δʼ ἡ κίνησις εἶναι τῶν συνεχῶν, τὸ δʼ ἄπειρον ἐμφαίνεται πρῶτον ἐν τῷ συνεχεῖ· διὸ καὶ τοῖς ὁριζομένοις τὸ συνεχὲς συμβαίνει προσχρήσασθαι πολλάκις τῷ λόγῳ τῷ τοῦ ἀπείρου, ὡς τὸ εἰς ἄπειρον διαιρετὸν συνεχὲς ὄν.
Now, motion is thought to belong to continuous things, and the infinite appears first in the continuous; hence those who define the continuous often happen to make use of the account of the infinite, on the ground that the continuous is that which is infinitely divisible.
πρὸς δὲ τούτοις ἄνευ τόπου καὶ κενοῦ καὶ χρόνου κίνησιν ἀδύνατον εἶναι.
In addition to these, it is impossible for motion to exist without place, void, and time.
δῆλον οὖν ὡς διά τε ταῦτα, καὶ διὰ τὸ πάντων εἶναι κοινὰ καὶ καθόλου ταῦτα, σκεπτέον προχειρισαμένοις περὶ ἑκάστου τούτων (ὑστέρα γὰρ ἡ περὶ τῶν ἰδίων θεωρία τῆς περὶ τῶν κοινῶν ἐστιν)· καὶ πρῶτον, καθάπερ εἴπαμεν, περὶ κινήσεαως.
It is clear, then, that both for these reasons and because these things are common and universal to all, we must consider each of them after taking them in hand (for the study of the particular is posterior to that of the common); and first, as we said, about motion.
ἔστι δὴ τὸ μὲν ἐντελεχείᾳ μόνον, τὸ δὲ δυνάμει καὶ ἐντελεχείᾳ, τὸ μὲν τόδε τι, τὸ δὲ τοσόνδε, τὸ δὲ τοιόνδε, καὶ τῶν ἄλλων. τῶν τοῦ ὄντος κατηγοριῶν ὁμοίως.
Now, some things exist only in fulfillment, others in potentiality and fulfillment—and this is either a 'this', or so much, or of such a quality, and similarly for the other categories of being.
τοῦ δὲ πρός τι τὸ μὲν καθʼ ὑπεροχὴν λέγεται καὶ κατʼ ἔλλειψιν, τὸ δὲ κατὰ τὸ ποιητικὸν καὶ παθητικόν, καὶ ὅλως κινητικόν τε καὶ κινητόν· τὸ γὰρ κινητικὸν κινητικὸν τοῦ κινητοῦ καὶ τὸ κινητὸν κινητὸν ὑπὸ τοῦ κινητικοῦ, οὐκ ἔστι δὲ κίνησις παρὰ τὰ πράγματα·
Of relative terms, some are spoken of in respect of excess and defect, others in respect of active and passive, and generally of the motive and the movable; for the motive is motive of the movable, and the movable is movable by the motive.
μεταβάλλει γὰρ ἀεὶ τὸ μεταβάλλον ἢ κατʼ οὐσίαν ἢ κατὰ ποσὸν ἢ κατὰ ποιὸν ἢ κατὰ τόπον, κοινὸν δʼ ἐπὶ τούτων οὐδὲν ἔστι λαβεῖν, ὡς φαμέν, ὃ οὔτε τόδε οὔτε ποσὸν οὔτε ποιὸν οὔτε τῶν ἄλλων κατηγορημάτων οὐθέν·
But there is no motion apart from things; for that which changes always changes either in respect of substance, or of quantity, or of quality, or of place, and we cannot grasp anything common to these, as we say, which is neither a 'this' nor a quantity nor a quality nor any of the other categories.
ὥστʼ οὐδὲ κίνησις οὐδὲ μεταβολὴ οὐθενὸς ἔσται παρὰ τὰ εἰρημένα, μηθενός γε ὄντος παρὰ τὰ εἰρημένα.
So there will be neither motion nor change of anything apart from those mentioned, since indeed nothing exists apart from those mentioned.
ἕκαστον δὲ διχῶς ὑπάρχει πᾶσιν, οἷον τὸ τόδε (τὸ μὲν γὰρ μορφὴ αὐτοῦ, τὸ δὲ στέρησις), καὶ κατὰ τὸ ποιόν (τὸ μὲν γὰρ λευκὸν τὸ δὲ μέλαν), καὶ κατὰ τὸ ποσὸν τὸ μὲν τέλειον τὸ δʼ ἀτελές.
Each of these belongs to everything in two ways, e.g. the 'this' (for one is its form, the other privation), and in respect of quality (for one is white, the other black), and in respect of quantity (one is complete, the other incomplete).
ὁμοίως δὲ καὶ κατὰ τὴν φορὰν τὸ μὲν ἄνω τὸ δὲ κάτω, ἢ τὸ μὲν κοῦφον τὸ δὲ βαρύ.
And similarly in respect of locomotion, one is upwards, the other downwards, or one is light, the other heavy.
ὥστε κινήσεαως καὶ μεταβολῆς ἔστιν εἴδη τοσαῦτα ὅσα τοῦ ὄντος.
So there are as many species of motion and change as there are of being.
διῃρημένου δὲ καθʼ
ἕκαστον γένος τοῦ μὲν ἐντελεχείᾳ τοῦ δὲ δυνάμει, ἡ τοῦ δυνάμει ὄντος ἐντελέχεια, ᾗ τοιοῦτον, κίνησίς ἐστιν, οἷον τοῦ μὲν ἀλλοιωτοῦ, ᾗ ἀλλοιωτόν, ἀλλοίωσις, τοῦ δὲ αὐξητοῦ καὶ τοῦ ἀντικειμένου
And since in each genus a distinction is made between what is in fulfillment and what is in potentiality, the fulfillment of that which exists in potentiality, as such, is motion—e.g. of that which is alterable, as alterable, alteration, and of that which is increasable and its opposite...