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1、ONGENERATIONANDCORRUPTIONbyAristotletranslatedbyH.H.JoachimBookI1OURnexttaskistostudycoming-to-beandpassing-away.Wearetodistinguishthecauses,andtostatethedefinitions,oftheseprocessesconsideredingeneral-aschangespredicableuniformlyofallthethingsthatcome-to-beandpass-awaybyna
2、ture.Further,wearetostudygrowthand'alteration'.Wemustinquirewhateachofthemis;andwhether'alteration'istobeidentifiedwithcoming-to-be,orwhethertothesedifferentnamestherecorrespondtwoseparateprocesseswithdistinctnatures.Onthisquestion,indeed,theearlyphilosophersaredivided.Some
3、ofthemassertthattheso-called'unqualifiedcoming-to-be'is'alteration',whileothersmaintainthat'alteration'andcoming-to-bearedistinct.Forthosewhosaythattheuniverseisonesomething(i.e.thosewhogenerateallthingsoutofonething)areboundtoassertthatcoming-to-beis'alteration',andthatwha
4、tever'comes-to-be'inthepropersenseofthetermis'beingaltered':butthosewhomakethematterofthingsmorethanonemustdistinguishcoming-to-befrom'alteration'.TothislatterclassbelongEmpedocles,Anaxagoras,andLeucippus.AndyetAnaxagorashimselffailedtounderstandhisownutterance.Hesays,atall
5、events,thatcoming-to-beandpassing-awayarethesameas'beingaltered':'yet,incommonwithotherthinkers,heaffirmsthattheelementsaremany.ThusEmpedoclesholdsthatthecorporealelementsarefour,whilealltheelements-includingthosewhichinitiatemovement-aresixinnumber;whereasAnaxagorasagreesw
6、ithLeucippusandDemocritusthattheelementsareinfinite.(Anaxagoraspositsaselementsthe'homoeomeries',viz.bone,flesh,marrow,andeverythingelsewhichissuchthatpartandwholearethesameinnameandnature;whileDemocritusandLeucippussaythatthereareindivisiblebodies,infinitebothinnumberandin
7、thevarietiesoftheirshapes,ofwhicheverythingelseiscomposed-thecompoundsdifferingonefromanotheraccordingtotheshapes,'positions',and'groupings'oftheirconstituents.)FortheviewsoftheschoolofAnaxagorasseemdiametricallyopposedtothoseofthefollowersofEmpedocles.EmpedoclessaysthatFir
8、e,Water,Air,andEartharefourelements,andarethus'simple'ratherthanflesh,bone,andbodi
