Aristotle on Metaphysics(2004) - Bibotu.com

8THE ULTIMATE CAUSE OFCHANGE: GOD(Book XII)1The project of book XII and its place in theMetaphysics<strong>Aristotle</strong>’s overall aim in book XII is to investigate changing things, andnature in general, as a whole—to investigate the universe (to pan, literally‘the all’, i.e. the totality of things) as a whole (hōs holon ti, XII. 1,1069 a 19). He will undertake this investigation by searching for theprinciples and explanations of all things, and of the universe and nature asa whole. By nature, phusis, he will mean the totality of changing things. Buthe will argue (in XII. 6–10) for a very distinctive conclusion. For he willargue that the totality of changing things, and nature as a whole, has a singleultimate explanation and cause, which is itself changeless and which isdistinct from nature as a whole. What this explanation explains is, ingeneral, why there is such a thing as change in the first place. But inparticular it explains why there is such a thing as regular and uniform change,and in general change that is intelligible and subject to explanation—whatwe may call rational change. He will eventually call this ultimateexplanation of rational change: God.We will consider at length how <strong>Aristotle</strong> reaches this conclusion, andhow he conceives of this ultimate explanation and cause of change: God.But first a word about how (especially in XII. 1) he characterizesthis overall project, the project of searching for the ultimate principles andexplanations of all things and of the universe as a whole; and how ingeneral this project fits into the project of the Metaphysics. This is how hebegins:[1069 a 18–26] The investigation is about primary being [ousia]. Forwe are searching for the principles and the explanations [or ‘causes’,