Aristotle on Metaphysics(2004) - Bibotu.com

THE ULTIMATE CAUSE OF CHANGE: GOD 275orderly and uniform state. But this explanation and cause must be, by itsvery nature, active, as opposed to merely having the capacity to act. For ifits nature is merely to have the capacity to act, then a similar question canbe asked with regard to it: why, at a particular point in time, does itchange from a state of not acting to a state of acting (see 1071 b 17–20). Ifthis cause is, by its very nature, active, then it will always act. But then it willalways produce the effect that it produces, i.e. it will always cause orderand uniformity in the universe—which means that the universe will alwaysbe orderly and uniform. This argument deserves close examination, but wewill need to set it aside.5The argument for the ultimate cause of changeLet us now turn to the argument (at the opening of XII. 7) for an ultimatecause of change, i.e. for a changeless, everlasting first cause of change, inparticular of the everlasting, perfectly uniform circular motion of theoutermost heaven. The argument is this: if something changes, then theremust be a cause of its changing, but in the case of the change of theoutermost heaven, the cause must be changeless.There is something that always changes in ceaseless change, and thischange is circular motion (and this is evident not only throughargument, but in fact), so that the first [i.e. outermost] heaven iseverlasting.(1072 a 21–23)It follows that there is also something that moves it [i.e. somethingthat moves the first heaven, causes it to move].(1072 a 23–24)But since that which is both itself moving and moves other things[i.e. the outermost heaven] is an intermediary, there must besomething that moves it without itself moving [i.e. a changelessultimate cause of change], and this is everlasting and ousia andactuality.(1072 a 24–26)The argument is evidently based on the conclusion, with which it opens(1072 a 21–23), about the all-encompassing outermost heaven, the limit ofnature, and the change distinctive of it. But the reasoning for a changeless