Aristotle`s concept of change in the metaphysics

Philosophy of Aristotle

Aristotle 's Concept of Change

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Introduction

Aristotle was the last of the famous Greek Triumvirate . The first one was Socrates probably the most enigmatic figure in the history of philosophy . The second was Plato , a poet who was regarded as Socrates brightest students . And the last was Aristotle , the most famous student of Plato . Aristotle was born at Stagira , in Thrace , in 384 B .C . His father was a physician which is an indication that science was his main philosophic

background . He was also the famous tutor of Alexander the Great

The Pre-Socratic Philosophers

Every famous philosopher in the history of philosophy wanted to provide a solution the prevailing problems of his time . Aristotle was no exception . He wanted to correct the problems involving the metaphysical speculations of the philosophers before him , even that of his teacher Plato . Aristotle thought that the previous philosophers , including Plato , grossly failed to appreciate the nature of reality in saying that there is no change and neither is there motion . It bears stressing that though he was Plato 's student , they disagreed about almost anything

Parmenides and the Eleatic Philosophers were the first Greek Philosophers who attempted to provide an answer to the problem of change (Wesley Wildman ) They thought that everything that exists in reality had always existed . It is not capable of changing or moving For them , only our reason should be trusted and that senses should not be relied upon because they may be deceiving us . Thus , they thought that What is cannot come to be (since it already is , while nothing can come to be from what is not (because it is not possible (191a28-29

For Parmenides , there are only two ways by which something can change Either from what already exists or from what does not exist . But what already exists cannot come into existence because it already exists . On the other hand , what does not exist cannot come into existence because from nothing comes nothing . It is also not possible for something that exists to become nothing . The premise of this argument is quite simple The basis of change is that things must involve a pair of opposites such that change may happen only if a subject loses what it presently has and gains what it does not have

Plato , on other hand , was particularly interested with the difference between what is real and what is not real . He thought that change does not exist . He thought that change is not real . For something to be real it must have the qualities of permanence and immutability (Marc Cohen , 2004 ) He did not deny that this world we live in changes . It is also imperfect and mutable . Despite this , however , Plato noticed that we still have knowledge of concepts such as permanence and immutability He concludes that perhaps there is another world different from the world that we have now . This world exists independently of our world which is not only permanent...