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[1026a]
[1]
Now if all physical terms are used in
the same sense as "snub"—e.g. nose, eye, face, flesh, bone,
and in general animal; leaf, root, bark, and in general vegetable (for
not one of these has a definition without motion; the definition
invariably includes matter)—it is clear how we should look
for and define the essence in physical things, and why it is the
province of the physicist to study even some aspects of the soul, so
far as it is not independent of matter.It is obvious,
then, from these considerations, that physics is a form of speculative
science. And mathematics is also speculative; but it is not clear at
present whether its objects are immutable and separable from matter;
it is clear, however, that some branches of mathematics study their
objects qua immutable and qua separable from matter. Obviously it is the province of a
speculative science to discover whether a thing is eternal and
immutable and separable from matter;not, however, of physics (since physics deals
with mutable objects) nor of mathematics, but of a science prior to
both. For physics deals with things which exist separately but are not
immutable; and some branches of mathematics deal with things which are
immutable, but presumably not separable, but present in matter; but
the primary science treats of things which are both separable and
immutable.Now all
causes must be eternal, but these especially; since they are the
causes of what is visible of things divine. Hence there will be three
speculative philosophies: mathematics, physics, and
theology—
[20]
since it is obvious that if the divine is present anywhere, it is
present in this kind of entity; and also the most honorable science
must deal with the most honorable class of subject.The
speculative sciences, then, are to be preferred to the other sciences,
and "theology" to the other speculative sciences. One might indeed
raise the question whether the primary philosophy is universal or
deals with some one genus or entity; because even the mathematical
sciences differ in this respect—geometry and astronomy deal
with a particular kind of entity, whereas universal mathematics
applies to all kinds alike.Then if there is not some other substance besides those which are
naturally composed, physics will be the primary science; but if there
is a substance which is immutable, the science which studies this will
be prior to physics, and will be primary philosophy, and universal in
this sense, that it is primary. And it will be the province of this
science to study Being qua Being; what it is,
and what the attributes are which belong to it qua Being.But since the simple term "being" is
used in various senses, of which we saw that one was
accidental , and another true (not-being
being used in the sense of "false"); and since besides these there are
the categories, e.g. the "what," quality, quantity, place, time, and
any other similar meanings;
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