METAPHYSICS

ARGYROPYLUS. BESSARIO.

wood/ nor bronze: is the cause/ that either of them is changed. Neither wood indeed makes a couch/ nor bronze a statue: but something else is the cause of change. To seek this: is nothing else than to seek the other cause which is the source of movement/ as we are accustomed to call it. ¶ Therefore, those who first touched upon such a doctrine from the beginning/ and said there was one underlying subject: felt no difficulty in their own opinion. But some of those who say there is one: as if overcome by this question/ say that the one itself is immobile. And they say this not only of generation and corruption (for this is an ancient view: and all agree on this) but also of every other change. And this: is their particular view. Therefore, to none of those who posited that the universe itself is one: did such a cause occur to the mind/ except to Parmenides Parmenides of Elea (c. 515 BCE) argued that reality is a single, unchanging, eternal "One." He is noted here because he allowed for a "way of opinion" that admitted two principles (light and dark). alone. And to him: for the reason that he posits not only one/ but also in a certain way two causes. But those who make things plural can speak of this more easily: such as those who posit the hot/ the cold/ or fire and earth. For they use fire indeed/ as having a motive nature: but water/ earth and such things/ as having a contrary nature. ¶ After these men and such principles, as they were not sufficient to generate the nature of things, being compelled by the truth itself/ as we have said: they sought the following principle. For that some things should be in a good and right state/ and others should become so: it is not likely that either fire/ or earth/ or any other such thing is the cause/ nor did those men think so. Nor again: is it right to grant and attribute such a great matter as the good state of things to chance or fortune. ¶ Therefore, when someone said that Mind original: "mens" is the cause of the world and of the universal order/ and that it exists in nature just as in animals: he appeared like a sober man among those earlier ones speaking vanities. And we know that Anaxagoras Anaxagoras (c. 500–428 BCE) was the first to suggest Nous (Mind/Intellect) as the force that ordered the primordial chaos into the cosmos. clearly touched upon these words. But they say that Hermotimus A semi-legendary philosopher of Clazomenae who supposedly preceded Anaxagoras in the theory of Mind. of Clazomenae said this first. Those, therefore, who thought in this way: posited the cause of things being well as simultaneously the principle of things and such a cause/ from which is the principle of motion.

wood/ nor bronze is the cause that either of them is changed. Neither wood indeed makes a bed/ nor bronze a statue: but something else is the cause of change. But to seek this: is to seek another principle/ just as that which we call the source of the principle of motion. ¶ Therefore, those who entirely from the beginning reached that path/ and asserted there was one underlying subject: left no difficulty for themselves. But some of those who established one: as if defeated by this question/ say the one itself is immobile/ and all of nature not only according to generation and corruption (for this is ancient: and to which all have agreed) but also according to all other transformation. And this: is their particular view. Of those, therefore, who said the universe itself is only one: it happened to none to behold such a cause/ except perhaps to Parmenides. And to him: only insofar as he posits not only one/ but even in a certain way two causes. But to those who make things plural: it happened more often to say so. For example, to those: who posit the hot or the cold or fire and earth. For they indeed use fire: as having a motive nature. But water and earth/ and such things: on the contrary. ¶ After these and such principles as if they were not sufficient so that they might generate the nature of beings/ again by the truth itself (as we said) being forced: they sought that which follows the principle. For that beings should partly be well/ and partly become so: it is not likely that either fire/ or earth/ or any other such thing is the cause/ nor is it likely that those men thought so. Nor again: to attribute such a great thing to chance and fortune/ is proper. ¶ Wherefore, he who had said that Intellect original: "intellectum" is in nature as it is in animals, the cause of the world/ and of all order: appeared like a sober man compared to the older ones speaking vanities. But we know that he who openly touched upon these reasons: was Anaxagoras. Nevertheless Hermotimus of Clazomenae: is said to have spoken of the cause first. Those, therefore, who so judged: posited the principle of existing things simultaneously as the cause of the good itself as well as that source from which motion/ is in existing things.