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Aristotle · Physics §5.6#2

Natural versus Unnatural Motion and Problems of Rest

Passage 69 of 113 · Greek

Summary

The text systemizes the contrariety between natural and unnatural motions and rests, and examines the difficulties regarding the process of coming to a stand as well as the relation between rest at a place and motion from it, concluding the discussion on the contrariety of motion and rest.

§5.6#2ὅλως μὲν οὖν ἐναντίαι κινήσεις καὶ ἠρεμίαι τὸν εἰρημένον τρόπον εἰσίν, οἷον ἡ ἄνω τῇ κάτω· τόπου γὰρ ἐναντιώσεις αὗται.
On the whole, then, motions and rests are contrary in the manner described, for example, that which is upward to that which is downward; for these are contrarieties of place.
φέρεται δὲ τὴν μὲν ἄνω φορὰν φύσει τὸ πῦρ, τὴν δὲ κάτω ἡ γῆ· καὶ ἐναντίαι γʼ αὐτῶν αἱ φοραί.
And fire is carried upward by nature, and earth downward; and their movements are indeed contrary.
τὸ δὲ πῦρ ἄνω μὲν φύσει, κάτω δὲ παρὰ φύσιν· καὶ ἐναντία γε ἡ κατὰ φύσιν αὐτοῦ τῇ παρὰ φύσιν.
But fire is carried upward by nature, and downward contrary to nature; and its natural movement is indeed contrary to its unnatural one.
καὶ μοναὶ δʼ ὡσ. αύτως· ἡ γὰρ ἄνω μονὴ τῇ ἄνωθεν κάτω κινήσει ἐναντία.
And the same holds of rests as well; for rest above is contrary to the motion from above downward.
γίγνεται δὲ τῇ γῇ ἡ μὲν μονὴ ἐκείνη παρὰ φύσιν, ἡ δὲ κίνησις αὕτη κατὰ φύσιν.
But for earth, that rest is contrary to nature, and this motion is according to nature.
ὥστε κινήσει μονὴ ἐναντία ἡ παρὰ φύσιν τῇ κατὰ φύσιν τοῦ αὐτοῦ·
So that a rest is contrary to a motion when the unnatural rest of the same thing is contrary to its natural motion.
καὶ γὰρ ἡ κίνησις ἡ τοῦ αὐτοῦ ἐναντία οὕτως· ἡ μὲν γὰρ κατὰ φύσιν αὐτῶν, ἡ ἄνω ἢ ἡ κάτω, ἡ δὲ παρὰ φύσιν.
For indeed the motions of the same thing are contrary in this way: for one of them (either the upward or the downward) is according to nature, and the other is contrary to nature.
ἔχει δʼ ἀπορίαν εἰ ἔστιν πάσης ἠρεμίας τῆς μὴ αἰεὶ γένεσις, καὶ αὕτη τὸ ἵστασθαι.
But there is a difficulty as to whether there is a coming to be of every rest that is not eternal, and whether this is the process of coming to a stand.
τοῦ δὴ παρὰ φύσιν μένοντος, οἷον τῆς γῆς ἄνω, εἴη ἂν γένεσις.
If so, of that which remains contrary to nature, for instance earth above, there would be a coming to be of its rest.
ὅτε ἄρα ἐφέρετο ἄνω βίᾳ, ἵστατο.
Therefore, when it was being carried upward by force, it was coming to a stand.
ἀλλὰ τὸ ἱστάμενον ἀεὶ δοκεῖ φέρεσθαι θᾶττον, τὸ δὲ βίᾳ τοὐναντίον.
But that which is coming to a stand always seems to be carried faster, whereas that which is by force is the contrary.
οὐ γενόμενον ἄρα ἠρεμοῦν ἔσται ἠρεμοῦν.
Therefore, without having come to be resting, it will be resting.
ἔτι δοκεῖ τὸ ἵστασθαι ἢ ὅλως εἶναι τὸ εἰς τὸν αὑτοῦ τόπον φέρεσθαι ἢ συμβαίνειν ἅμα.
Furthermore, coming to a stand seems either to be altogether the movement to one's own proper place or to occur simultaneously with it.
ἔχει δʼ ἀπορίαν εἰ ἐναντία ἡ μονὴ ἡ ἐνταῦθα τῇ ἐντεῦθεν κινήσει·
And there is a difficulty as to whether the rest here is contrary to the motion from here.
ὅταν γὰρ κινῆται ἐκ τουδὶ καὶ ἀποβάλλῃ, ἔτι δοκεῖ ἔχειν τὸ ἀποβαλλόμενον, ὥστʼ εἰ αὕτη ἡ ἠρεμία ἐναντία τῇ ἐντεῦθεν εἰς τοὐναντίον κινήσει, ἅμα ὑπάρξει τἀναντία.
For when a thing moves from this and is losing it, it still seems to keep that which is being lost, so that if this rest is contrary to the motion from here into the contrary, contraries will belong to it at the same time.
ἢ πῂ ἠρεμεῖ, εἰ ἔτι μένει, ὅλως δὲ τοῦ κινουμένου τὸ μὲν ἐκεῖ, τὸ δʼ εἰς ἃ μεταβάλλει;
Or does it rest in a way, if it still remains, while of that which is in motion as a whole, part is there and part is in that into which it is changing?
διὸ καὶ μᾶλλον κίνησις κινήσει ἐναντίον ἢ ἠρέμησις.
For which reason also, motion is more contrary to motion than coming to rest is.
καὶ περὶ μὲν κινήσεως καὶ ἠρεμίας, πῶς ἑκατέρα μία, καὶ τίνες ἐναντίαι τίσιν, εἴρηται.
And concerning motion and rest, how each of them is one, and which are contrary to which, has been said.

Notes

  1. 230b21καὶ αὕτη τὸ ἵστασθαι — The feminine demonstrative pronoun 'αὕτη' refers back to 'γένεσις' (feminine). The clause thus inquires whether 'this' coming-to-be of rest is the process of coming to a stand (ἵστασθαι, infinitive).
  2. 230b26οὐ γενόμενον ἄρα ἠρεμοῦν ἔσται ἠρεμοῦν — The participle 'γενόμενον' expresses a negative condition or manner ('without having become'). The first 'ἠρεμοῦν' functions substantively ('that which is resting'), while the second 'ἠρεμοῦν' acts as the predicate complement with 'ἔσται' ('will be resting'). The overall meaning is: 'Therefore, without having undergone the process of becoming resting, that which is resting will be resting.'
  3. 231a1τοῦ κινουμένου τὸ μὲν ἐκεῖ, τὸ δʼ εἰς ἃ μεταβάλλει — The genitive 'τοῦ κινουμένου' is a partitive genitive qualifying 'tὸ μέν' and 'tὸ δέ'. It describes an intermediate state in which, of the whole (ὅλως) moving body, one part ('tὸ μέν') is still there ('ἐκεῖ') and another part ('tὸ δέ') is already in the goal of change ('εἰς ἃ μεταβάλλει').

Cite this passage

Aristotle, Physics §5.6#2. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0086.tlg031.humanitext-grc1:5.6%232

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