PHIL 141 Lecture Notes - Lecture 5: Substance Theory, Physis
30 Nov 2016
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Starts by distinguishing between what exists by nature, and what does not. What is natural: has an internal principle of motion; self-originated motion: not locomotion, but also growth, qualitative alteration, what is natural is capable self-originated change, artificial things are not capable of self-originated change. Internal principle of motion or rest; growth or decay. The title: greek (cid:449)ord (cid:862)ph(cid:455)sis(cid:863) (cid:448)er(cid:271) (cid:862)phuei(cid:374)(cid:863) (cid:449)hi(cid:272)h (cid:373)ea(cid:374)s to gro(cid:449) What beings are capable of natural change: animals, things that are capable of moving on their own accord, natural elements (earth, fire, air, and water) Concerned wth phenomena like flames moving upwards, lava, water flowing in various directions. At some levels, inanimate bodies can be capable of self-originated motion. To believe these things, aristotle must have a frame of reference (i. e what is up and down) Aristotle believes that the earth is round: water moves down pulling to the center of the earth. Earth must then be the center of the cosmos.
