Глава LXI. О движении

Movement is the realization of potency as such. Thus, copper is potentially a statue, for copper can take the form of a statue. The realization inherent in copper, which is potentially a statue, consists of casting, shaping, polishing: all these are movements. In whatever categories potency is contemplated, movement must also be contemplated in the same categories; and in which categories there is nothing potential, in those categories there should be no movement. The potential is contemplated in substance, in quantity, in quality, in the category of place. In substance – origin and destruction; in quantity - increase and decrease; in quality - change; in the category of place - movement in a circle, called rotation, as well as movement in a straight line, called rectilinear movement. Movement in a straight line has six types: up, down, inward, outward, right, left. Thus, along with rotational motion, there are seven types of local motion. Everything changes either in itself, or in relation to something located in it, or in relation to something located around it. And if the object changes of itself, then origin and destruction take place; if in relation to something located in itself, then the change occurs either in relation to quantity - and then there is an increase and decrease - or in relation to quality - and then there is a change. If a change occurs in relation to the surrounding, then a change arises in relation to the place, for the place is not itself the moving one and not what is in the moving one, but accompanies the moving one and is around it. Origin and destruction are distinguished as follows. Origin is a transition from non-existence to being, since something happens that did not exist before. Destruction, on the contrary, is a change from being to non-being. As for increase and decrease, increase is a movement towards more, and decrease is a movement towards less. With change, the opposite passive states again take place: heat is the opposite of cold, white is black. Thus, origin is opposite destruction, increase is decrease, change is the opposite state and rest: so cooling is opposite to heating, as well as rest, for when the heated body reaches the limit of heating and reaches the highest degree of heat, then it is at rest and ceases to heat up. In the same way, a certain local change is opposed by opposite movement, on the one hand, and rest, on the other: opposite movement, for example, upward movement is opposed to downward movement; rest, if, for example, when throwing a stone upward, the stone does not begin to move downward before it reaches a certain state of rest. However, there is no movement opposite to celestial movement. Apparently, change (αλλοιωσις) is associated with all other types of movement. In fact, what is happening, and what is being destroyed, and what is increasing, and what is decreasing, and what is moving in relation to a place undoubtedly change. With physical movements, although we find a change corresponding to other movements, a change is possible without another kind of movement, for example, in relation to a stone. The stone heats up and cools down, but does not increase in size or cease to exist. The same is true for the rest. Thus, although change corresponds to other types of movement, it is nevertheless possible to consider it in itself. This makes his difference from them clear. Aristotle does not call motion change. It was in the fifth book of “Readings on Physics” that he proved that origin and destruction are changes, but movements are not changes, since movement occurs while a thing remains in its previous form. If we say that change and change of place correspond to two opposites - opposite movement and rest, then we should keep in mind that one object in different respects can have two opposites. Peace is the opposite of change, as state and deprivation are of belonging; The same movement is opposite, like cooling to heating. You might be interested in: