Authors/Thomas Aquinas/metaphysics/liber10/lect5

Lecture 5

Latin	English
lib. 10 l. 5 n. 1 Postquam philosophus determinavit de uno et multo, et de his quae ad ea consequuntur, quorum unum est contrarietas, quae est differentia quaedam, ut dictum est, hic determinat de contrarietate, quia eius consideratio specialem habet difficultatem. Et dividitur in partes duas. In primo ostendit quod contrarietas est differentia maxima. In secunda inquirit, utrum contraria differant genere, aut specie, ibi, diversum autem specie ab aliquo et cetera. Prima dividitur in duas. In prima determinat de contrariis. In secunda de mediis, ibi, quoniam vero contrariorum contingit et cetera. Prima dividitur in duas. In prima ostendit naturam contrarietatis. In secunda movet quasdam dubitationes circa praedeterminata, ibi, quoniam autem unum uni contrarium est. Prima dividitur in duas partes. In prima ostendit quid sit contrarietas. In secunda determinat de contrarietate per comparationem ad alias species oppositionis, ibi, prima vero contrarietas et cetera. Circa primum duo facit. Primo ostendit definitionem contrarietatis. Secundo ad definitionem assignatam reducit omnes alias definitiones, quae de contrariis assignantur, ibi, necesse est alios terminos, et cetera. Circa primum duo facit. Primo ponit definitionem contrarietatis. Secundo ex definitione assignata quaedam corollaria concludit, ibi, at vero maximum in unoquoque genere et cetera. Circa primum duo facit. Primo ostendit aliquam esse differentiam maximam, hoc modo. In quibuscumque est invenire magis et minus, est invenire maximum, cum non sit procedere in infinitum: sed contingit differre aliquid ab altero magis et minus: ergo et contingit aliqua duo maxime differre. Et ita est aliqua differentia maxima.	2023. Having settled the issue about the one and the many, and about the attributes which naturally accompany them, of which one is contrariety, which is a kind of difference, as has been pointed out (840:C 2021), here the Philosopher explains contrariety, because the investigation of it involves a special difficulty. This is divided into two parts. In the first (842:C 2023) he shows that contrariety is the greatest difference. In the second (887:C 2112) he inquires whether contraries differ generically or specifically (“That which is “ ). The first part is divided into two. In the first he settles the issue about contraries. In the second (878:C 2097) he deals with their intermediates (“And since”). The first part is divided into two. In the first he settles the issue about the nature of contraries. In the second (857:C 2059) he raises certain difficulties about the points which have been established (“But since one thing”). The first part is divided into two. In the first he shows what contrariety is. In the second (848:C 2036) he establishes what is true of contrariety as compared with the other kinds of opposition (“The primary contrariety”). In treating the first part he does two things. First, he gives a definition of contrariety. Second (847:C 2032), he reduces all the other definitions which have been assigned to contraries to the one given (“And the other”). In regard to the first he does two things. First, he gives the definition of contrariety. Second (844:C 2027), he draws a corollary from this definition (“Now what is”). In regard to the first he does two things. First (842), he shows that there is a greatest difference, as follows: there is some maximum in all things which admit of difference in degree, since an infinite regress is impossible. But it is possible for one thing to differ from something else to a greater or lesser degree. Hence it is also possible for two things to differ from each other to the greatest degree; and therefore there is a greatest difference.
lib. 10 l. 5 n. 2 Secundo ibi, et hanc ostendit, quod contrarietas sit maxima differentia, per inductionem. Quaecumque enim differunt, aut differunt genere, aut differunt specie. Illa autem, quae differunt genere, non sunt comparabilia adinvicem, sed magis distant quam possit in eis accipi magis et minus differre. Hoc enim accipitur in illis quorum est transmutatio invicem. Intelligitur enim processus quidam et via transmutationis de uno in aliud per hoc, primo quod magis differunt, et postea minus, et sic quousque unum transmutatur in alterum. In illis autem quae differunt genere, non est accipere huiusmodi viam transmutationis unius in alterum. Unde in eis non est accipere magis et minus differre, et per consequens nec maxime differre: et sic in differentibus genere non est maxima differentia.	2024. And I call (843). Second, he shows by an induction that contrariety is the greatest difference; for all things which differ must differ either generically or specifically. Now those things which differ generically cannot be compared with each other, being too far apart to admit of any difference of degree between them. This is understood to apply to those things which are changed into each other, because a certain process or way of change of one thing into another is understood from the fact that at first they differ more and afterwards less, and so on until one is changed into the other. But in the case of things which differ generically we do not find any such passage of one thing into another. Hence such things cannot be considered to differ in degree, and so cannot differ in the highest degree. Thus in things which differ generically there is no greatest difference.
lib. 10 l. 5 n. 3 In illis vero quae differunt specie, oportet maximam differentiam esse inter contraria, quae generationes mutuae sunt ex contrariis sicut ex ultimis. Generatur quidem medium ex extremo aut e converso, aut etiam medium ex medio, ut pallidum ex nigro vel ex rubeo: non tamen huiusmodi generationes sunt ex duobus quasi ultimis. Cum enim in generatione, ex nigro procedit ad pallidum, adhuc ulterius potest procedere ad aliquid magis differens. Sed cum iam pervenerit ad album, non potest ulterius procedere ad aliquid magis differens a nigro. Et sic ibi est status sicut in ultimo. Et propter hoc dicit quod generationes fiunt ex contrariis sicut ex ultimis. Sed manifestum est, quod distantia ultimorum semper est maxima. Relinquitur ergo, quod inter ea quae differunt specie, maxime differunt contraria.	2025. However, in the case of things which differ specifically there must be a greatest difference between contraries, because:’reciprocal processes of generation arise from contraries as their extremes. And an intermediate arises from an extreme or vice versa, or an intermediate also arises from an intermediate, as gray is produced from black or from red. Yet generations of this kind do not arise from two things as extremes; for when something passes from black to gray in the process of generation, it can still pass farther to some color which differs to a greater degree. But when it has already become white, it cannot continue farther to any color which differs to a greater degree from black, and there it must stop as in its extreme state. This is why he says that processes of generation arise from contraries as extremes. But it is evident that the distance between extremes is always the greatest. Hence it follows that contraries have the greatest difference among things which differ specifically.
lib. 10 l. 5 n. 4 Cum autem ostenderimus quod ea quae differunt genere non dicuntur maxime differre, et tamen est aliqua maxima differentia, sequitur quod contrarietas non sit aliud quam maxima differentia.	2026. And since we have shown that things which differ generically are not said to have a greatest difference, although there is a greatest difference, it follows that contrariety is nothing else than the greatest difference.
lib. 10 l. 5 n. 5 Deinde cum dicit at vero inducit duo corollaria ex praemissis: quorum primum est quod contrarietas sit perfecta differentia. Quod sic probatur. Maximum in unoquoque genere est idem quod perfectum est. Quod patet ex hoc, quod maximum est quod non exceditur; et perfectum est, extra quod non potest aliquid sumi. Et sic eadem videtur esse differentia maximi et perfecti.	2027. Now what is greatest (844). He draws two corollaries from what has been said. The first is that contrariety is the perfect difference. This is proved as follows. What is greatest in any class is the same as what is perfect. This is clear from the fact that that is greatest which nothing exceeds; and that is perfect to which nothing can be added. Hence the difference of the greatest and that of the perfect [from a common referent] are seen to be the same.
lib. 10 l. 5 n. 6 Et quod perfectum sit extra quod non potest aliquid sumi, patet; quia omnia dicuntur perfecta, eo quod deveniunt ad finem. Extra finem autem nihil est: quia finis est id quod est ultimum in omni re, et quod continet rem. Unde nihil est extra finem. Nec id quod perfectum est, indiget aliquo exteriori; sed totum continetur sub sua perfectione. Et sic patet quod perfecta differentia est quae pervenit ad finem.	2028. That that is perfect to which nothing external can be added is evident, because all things are said to be perfect when they go up to the end. Now there is nothing beyond the end, because the end is what is ultimate in every case and contains the thing. Hence nothing lies beyond the end, nor does what is perfect need anything external, but the whole is contained under its own perfection. Thus it is evident that the perfect difference is one which goes up to the end.
lib. 10 l. 5 n. 7 Et sic, cum contrarietas sit maxima differentia, ut probatum est, sequitur quod sit differentia perfecta. Sed quia contraria dicuntur multipliciter, ut postmodum dicetur, non omnia contraria dicuntur perfecte differentia. Sed ita consequitur quaelibet contraria perfecte differre, sicut competit eis esse contraria; quibusdam scilicet primo, et quibusdam secundario.	2029. Therefore, since contrariety is the greatest difference, as has already been proved (843:C 2024), it follows that it is the perfect difference. But since things are said to be contrary in many ways, as will be stated later (849:C 2039), not all contraries are said to differ perfectly; but it follows that all contraries differ perfectly in the way in which contrariety belongs to them, i.e., to some primarily and to others secondarily.
lib. 10 l. 5 n. 8 His enim. Secundum corollarium ponit dicens, quod cum praedicta sint vera, manifestum est quod non convenit plura esse contraria uni. Quod quidem probat dupliciter. Primo, quia contrarietas est maxima et perfecta differentia quasi ultimorum. Unius autem distantiae non possunt esse plura ultima quam duo. Sicut videmus quod unius rectae lineae sunt duo puncta extrema. Nec iterum ultimo est aliquid ulterius. Unde impossibile est, si contrarietas est una distantia, quod uni contrariorum contrarientur aliqua duo ex aequo quasi ultima. Nec quod unum contrarietur magis, et alterum minus: quia id quod contrarietur minus, non esset ultimum, sed aliquid haberet ulterius.	2030. Since this is so (845). Here he gives the second corollary. He says that, since the foregoing remarks are true, it is evident that one thing cannot have many contraries. He proves this in two ways. He does this, first, on the grounds that contrariety is the greatest and perfect difference between extremes. But there can be no more than two extremes of one distance; for we see that one straight line has two end points. Further, there is nothing beyond the extreme. If, then, contrariety is one distance, it is impossible for two things to be equally opposed as extremes to one contrary, or for one to be more contrary and another less so, because whatever is less contrary will not be an extreme but will have something beyond it.
lib. 10 l. 5 n. 9 Deinde cum dicit totaliter autem probat idem alio modo; dicens, quod contrarietas est differentia quaedam. Omnis autem differentia est aliquorum duorum. Unde et perfecta differentia est duorum. Et sic unum uni tantum est contrarium.	2031. And in general (846). He now proves the same thing in another way. He says that since contrariety is a kind of difference, and every difference is a difference between two things, then the perfect difference must also be a difference between two things. Thus one thing has only one contrary.
lib. 10 l. 5 n. 10 Deinde cum dicit necesse autem ostendit, quod omnes definitiones de contrariis datae, secundum praedictam definitionem contrarietatis verificantur. Et ponit quatuor terminos, idest definitiones contrariorum ab aliis assignatas; quarum prima est, quod contraria sunt quae plurimum differunt. Hoc enim verificatur secundum praedicta, cum contrarietas sit perfecta differentia, quae facit plurimum differre. Manifestum est enim ex praedictis, quod in his quae differunt genere non est accipere quid magis differens his quae differunt specie: quia ad ea quae sunt extra genus, non est differentia, ut dictum est. Eorum vero, quae differunt specie, maxima differentia est contrariorum. Et sic sequitur quod contraria sunt quae plurimum differunt.	2032. And the other (847). Next he shows that all the definitions of contraries which have been given are seen to be true on the basis of the definition of contrariety posited above (842:C 2023). He gives “four formulations,” i.e., definitions, of contraries assigned by other thinkers. The first is that contraries are things which have the greatest difference. Now this is seen to be true on the basis of the foregoing definition, since contrariety is the perfect difference, and this causes things to differ most. For it is evident from what has been said that in the case of things which differ generically nothing can be found which differs more than things which differ specifically, because there is no difference as regards those things which lie outside the genus, as has been stated. And of things which differ specifically the greatest difference is between contraries. Hence it follows that contraries are things which differ most.
lib. 10 l. 5 n. 11 Secunda definitio est, quod contraria sunt quae plurimum differunt in eodem genere. Quae etiam verificatur secundum praedicta: quia contrarietas est perfecta differentia. Maxima autem differentia eorum quae sunt in eodem genere est perfecta differentia. Unde relinquitur quod contraria sunt quae plurimum differunt in eodem genere.	2033. The second definition is that contraries are attributes which differ to the greatest degree in the same genus. This is also seen to be true on the basis of the foregoing definition, because contrariety is the perfect difference. But the greatest difference between things which belong to the same genus is the perfect difference. Hence it follows that contraries are attributes which have the greatest difference in the same genus.
lib. 10 l. 5 n. 12 Tertia definitio est quod contraria sunt quae plurimum differunt in eodem susceptibili. Quod etiam verificatur ex praedictis; quia eadem est materia contrariorum, cum ex invicem generentur.	2034. The third definition is that contraries are attributes which have the greatest difference in the same subject. This is also seen to be true on the basis of the foregoing definition; for contraries have the same matter since they are generated from each other.
lib. 10 l. 5 n. 13 Quarta definitio est, quod contraria sunt, quae plurimum differunt sub eadem potentia, idest arte vel scientia. Nam scientia est potentia rationalis, ut in nono dictum est. Et haec etiam definitio ex praedictis verificatur; quia una scientia est circa unum genus. Cum igitur contraria sint in eodem genere, oportet quod sint sub eadem potentia sive scientia. Et quia contrarietas est perfecta differentia in eodem genere, oportet quod contraria plurimum differant eorum quae sunt sub eadem scientia.	2035. The fourth definition is that contraries are attributes which have the greatest difference “under the same potency,” i.e., the same art or science; for science is a rational potency, as has been stated in Book IX (746:C 1789). This definition is also seen to be true on the basis of the foregoing definition, because there is one science of one class of things. Therefore, since contraries belong to the same genus, they must come under the same potency or science. And since contrariety is the perfect difference in the same genus, contraries must have the greatest difference among those things which come under the same science.