Aristotle on Metaphysics(2004) - Bibotu.com

294 THE ULTIMATE CAUSE OF CHANGE: GODmost lowly slave and even the household animals, contribute, throughtheir actions and activities, to the common good and activity of thehousehold as a whole (1075 b 19–22).10Why transcendence?<strong>Aristotle</strong>, it has emerged, thinks of the ultimate cause of change astranscending and lying beyond nature as a whole, i.e. as distinct from thetotality of changing, material things. This does not mean that this cause —God—literally occupies a place outside nature. For there is no place, andin general no space, outside nature. But it means that God is not identicalwith any part of nature, or with the whole of nature. And it means thatGod is not identical with anything that is inseparable from any part ofnature, and likewise not identical with something that is inseparable fromthe whole of nature. In particular, God is not identical with the form ofthe outermost heaven, which, like any other form of a changing, materialthing, is inseparable from that thing. For the form of the outermost heavenis the form of a single changing, material thing that bounds and delimitsthe changing, material universe and the totality of changing, materialthings.But why in general does <strong>Aristotle</strong> argue for transcendence? His overallaim in book XII is to search for the ultimate explanation and cause ofnature as a whole, and in particular of the kind of change that is distinctiveof nature in general, i.e. change that is orderly, uniform and in generalsubject to explanation—rational change. So his aim is to search for theultimate explanation and cause of the rationally changing universe and thecosmos. But why does he not think that this aim can be achieved just aswell without going beyond or transcending nature? In particular, why doeshe not think that this aim can be achieved just as well by thinking of theultimate explanation and cause of rational change as the inseparable formof the outermost heaven? After all, the outermost heaven bounds anddelimits nature as a whole.So why is <strong>Aristotle</strong> committed to transcendence ? One central reasonemerges especially in XII. 10, but it is indicated already at the opening ofbook XII. It is his view that, strictly, there can only be one ultimate causeof rational change in general—only one God. This is because what<strong>Aristotle</strong> is searching for is the ultimate explanation and cause of rationalchange in nature as a whole. But evidently there can only be one suchwhole. So there can only be one ultimate explanation and cause of it. It isperhaps above all because there can only be one God that God cannot be