on the heavens-第7部分

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A　come　to　exist？'　From　our　arguments　then　it　is　evident　not　only　that　there　is　not；　but　also　that　there　could　never　come　to　be；　any　bodily　mass　whatever　outside　the　circumference。　The　world　as　a　whole；　therefore；　includes　all　its　appropriate　matter；　which　is；　as　we　saw；　natural　perceptible　body。　So　that　neither　are　there　now；　nor　have　there　ever　been；　nor　can　there　ever　be　formed　more　heavens　than　one；　but　this　heaven　of　ours　is　one　and　unique　and　complete。　　　It　is　therefore　evident　that　there　is　also　no　place　or　void　or　time　outside　the　heaven。　For　in　every　place　body　can　be　present；　and　void　is　said　to　be　that　in　which　the　presence　of　body；　though　not　actual；　is　possible；　and　time　is　the　number　of　movement。　But　in　the　absence　of　natural　body　there　is　no　movement；　and　outside　the　heaven；　as　we　have　shown；　body　neither　exists　nor　can　come　to　exist。　It　is　clear　then　that　there　is　neither　place；　nor　void；　nor　time；　outside　the　heaven。　Hence　whatever　is　there；　is　of　such　a　nature　as　not　to　occupy　any　place；　nor　does　time　age　it；　nor　is　there　any　change　in　any　of　the　things　which　lie　beyond　the　outermost　motion；　they　continue　through　their　entire　duration　unalterable　and　unmodified；　living　the　best　and　most　selfsufficient　of　lives。　As　a　matter　of　fact；　this　word　'duration'　possessed　a　divine　significance　for　the　ancients；　for　the　fulfilment　which　includes　the　period　of　life　of　any　creature；　outside　of　which　no　natural　development　can　fall；　has　been　called　its　duration。　On　the　same　principle　the　fulfilment　of　the　whole　heaven；　the　fulfilment　which　includes　all　time　and　infinity；　is　'duration'…a　name　based　upon　the　fact　that　it　is　always…duration　immortal　and　divine。　From　it　derive　the　being　and　life　which　other　things；　some　more　or　less　articulately　but　others　feebly；　enjoy。　So；　too；　in　its　discussions　concerning　the　divine；　popular　philosophy　often　propounds　the　view　that　whatever　is　divine；　whatever　is　primary　and　supreme；　is　necessarily　unchangeable。　This　fact　confirms　what　we　have　said。　For　there　is　nothing　else　stronger　than　it　to　move　it…since　that　would　mean　more　divine…and　it　has　no　defect　and　lacks　none　of　its　proper　excellences。　Its　unceasing　movement；　then；　is　also　reasonable；　since　everything　ceases　to　move　when　it　comes　to　its　proper　place；　but　the　body　whose　path　is　the　circle　has　one　and　the　same　place　for　starting…point　and　goal。

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　　Having　established　these　distinctions；　we　may　now　proceed　to　the　question　whether　the　heaven　is　ungenerated　or　generated；　indestructible　or　destructible。　Let　us　start　with　a　review　of　the　theories　of　other　thinkers；　for　the　proofs　of　a　theory　are　difficulties　for　the　contrary　theory。　Besides；　those　who　have　first　heard　the　pleas　of　our　adversaries　will　be　more　likely　to　credit　the　assertions　which　we　are　going　to　make。　We　shall　be　less　open　to　the　charge　of　procuring　judgement　by　default。　To　give　a　satisfactory　decision　as　to　the　truth　it　is　necessary　to　be　rather　an　arbitrator　than　a　party　to　the　dispute。　　　That　the　world　was　generated　all　are　agreed；　but；　generation　over；　some　say　that　it　is　eternal；　others　say　that　it　is　destructible　like　any　other　natural　formation。　Others　again；　with　Empedliocles　of　Acragas　and　Heraclitus　of　Ephesus；　believe　that　there　is　alternation　in　the　destructive　process；　which　takes　now　this　direction；　now　that；　and　continues　without　end。　　　Now　to　assert　that　it　was　generated　and　yet　is　eternal　is　to　assert　the　impossible；　for　we　cannot　reasonably　attribute　to　anything　any　characteristics　but　those　which　observation　detects　in　many　or　all　instances。　But　in　this　case　the　facts　point　the　other　way：　generated　things　are　seen　always　to　be　destroyed。　Further；　a　thing　whose　present　state　had　no　beginning　and　which　could　not　have　been　other　than　it　was　at　any　previous　moment　throughout　its　entire　duration；　cannot　possibly　be　changed。　For　there　will　have　to　be　some　cause　of　change；　and　if　this　had　been　present　earlier　it　would　have　made　possible　another　condition　of　that　to　which　any　other　condition　was　impossible。　Suppose　that　the　world　was　formed　out　of　elements　which　were　formerly　otherwise　conditioned　than　as　they　are　now。　Then　（1）　if　their　condition　was　always　so　and　could　not　have　been　otherwise；　the　world　could　never　have　come　into　being。　And　（2）　if　the　world　did　come　into　being；　then；　clearly；　their　condition　must　have　been　capable　of　change　and　not　eternal：　after　combination　therefore　they　will　be　dispersed；　just　as　in　the　past　after　dispersion　they　came　into　combination；　and　this　process　either　has　been；　or　could　have　been；　indefinitely　repeated。　But　if　this　is　so；　the　world　cannot　be　indestructible；　and　it　does　not　matter　whether　the　change　of　condition　has　actually　occurred　or　remains　a　possibility。　　　Some　of　those　who　hold　that　the　world；　though　indestructible；　was　yet　generated；　try　to　support　their　case　by　a　parallel　which　is　illusory。　They　say　that　in　their　statements　about　its　generation　they　are　doing　what　geometricians　do　when　they　construct　their　figures；　not　implying　that　the　universe　really　had　a　beginning；　but　for　didactic　reasons　facilitating　understanding　by　exhibiting　the　object；　like　the　figure；　as　in　course　of　formation。　The　two　cases；　as　we　said；　are　not　parallel；　for；　in　the　construction　of　the　figure；　when　the　various　steps　are　completed　the　required　figure　forthwith　results；　but　in　these　other　demonstrations　what　results　is　not　that　which　was　required。　Indeed　it　cannot　be　so；　for　antecedent　and　consequent；　as　assumed；　are　in　contradiction。　The　ordered；　it　is　said；　arose　out　of　the　unordered；　and　the　same　thing　cannot　be　at　the　same　time　both　ordered　and　unordered；　there　must　be　a　process　and　a　lapse　of　time　separating　the　two　states。　In　the　figure；　on　the　other　hand；　there　is　no　temporal　separation。　It　is　clear　then　that　the　universe　cannot　be　at　once　eternal　and　generated。　　　To　say　that　the　universe　alternately　combines　and　dissolves　is　no　more　paradoxical　than　to　make　it　eternal　but　varying　in　shape。　It　is　as　if　one　were　to　think　that　there　was　now　destruction　and　now　existence　when　from　a　child　a　man　is　generated；　and　from　a　man　a　child。　For　it　is　clear　that　when　the　elements　come　together　the　result　is　not　a　chance　system　and　combination；　but　the　very　same　as　before…especially　on　the　view　of　those　who　hold　this　theory；　since　they　say　that　the　contrary　is　the　cause　of　each　state。　So　that　if　the　totality　of　body；　which　is　a　continuum；　is　now　in　this　order　or　disposition　and　now　in　that；　and　if　the　combination　of　the　whole　is　a　world　or　heaven；　then　it　will　not　be　the　world　that　comes　into　being　and　is　destroyed；　but　only　its　dispositions。　　　If　the　world　is　believed　to　be　one；　it　is　impossible　to　suppose　that　it　should　be；　as　a　whole；　first　generated　and　then　destroyed；　never　to　reappear；　since　before　it　came　into　being　there　was　always　present　the　combination　prior　to　it；　and　that；　we　hold；　could　never　change　if　it　was　never　generated。　If；　on　the　other　hand；　the　worlds　are　infinite　in　number　the　view　is　more　plausible。　But　whether　this　is；　or　is　not；　impossible　will　be　clear　from　what　follows。　For　there　are　some　who　think　it　possible　both　for　the　ungenerated　to　be　destroyed　and　for　the　generated　to　persist　undestroyed。　（This　is　held　in　the　Timaeus；　where　Plato　says　that　the　heaven；　though　it　was　generated；　will　none　the　less　exist　to　eternity。）　So　far　as　the　heaven　is　concerned　we　have　answered　this　view　with　arguments　appropriate　to　the　nature　of　the　heaven：　on　the　general　question　we　shall　attain　clearness　when　we　examine　the　matter　universally。

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　　We　must　first　distinguish　the　senses　in　which　we　use　the　words　'ungenerated'　and　'generated'；　'destructible'　and　'indestructible'。　These　have　many　meanings；　and　though　it　may　make　no　difference　to　the　argument；　yet　some　confusion　of　mind　must　result　from　treating　as　uniform　in　its　use　a　word　which　has　several　distinct　applications。　The　character　which　is　the　ground　of　the　predication　will　always　remain　obscure。　　　The　word　'ungenerated'　then　is　used　（a）　in　one　sense　whenever　something　now　is　which　formerly　was　not；　no　process　of　becoming　or　change　being　involved。　Such　is　the　case；　according　to　some；　with　contact　and　motion；　since　there　is　no　process　of　coming　to　be　in　contact　or　in　motion。　（b）　It　is　used　in　another　sense；　when　something　which　is　capable　of　coming　to　be；　with　or　without　process；　does　not　exist；　such　a　thing　is　ungenerated　in　the　sense　that　its　generation　is　not　a　fact　but　a　possibility。　（c）　It　is　also　applied　where　there　is　general　impossibility　of　any　generation　such　that　the　thing　now　is　which　then　was　not。　And　'impossibility'　has　two　uses：　first；　where　it　is　untrue　to　say　that　the　thing　can　ever　come　into　being；　and　secondly；　where　it　cannot　do　so　easily；　quickly；　or　well。　In　the　same　way　the　word　'generated'　is　used；　（a）　first；　where　what　formerly　was　not　afterwards　is；　whether　a　process　of　becoming　was　or　was　not　involved；　so　long　as　that　which　then　was　not；　now　is；　（b）　secondly；　of　anything　capable　of　existing；　'capable'　being　defined　with　reference　either　to　truth　or　to　facility；　（c）　thirdly；　of　anything　to　which　the　passage　from　not　being　to　being　belongs；　whether　already　actual；　if　its　existence　i