Aristotle and the Infinite Causal Series in Physics VII and VIII

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to partially reconstruct the less known version of the Aristotelian theory of the Unmoved Mover developed in books VII and VIII of the Physics. In doing so, I will attempt to show that the proofs against the existence of infinite causal series appearing in each of those books are irreducible to each other. The arguments, indeed, are quite similar in their most general lines, but the justification for one of the fundamental premises substantially varies or, at least, that is what I will try to show. If that is the case, we would have to acknowledge those arguments as two different ways to prove the existence of an Unmoved Mover. Being this the case, I will firstly expound the general argument appearing in both books and, then, I will focus on two parts of Aristotle’s argumentation that I believe irreducible to each other. As is well known, Aristotle identifies in Met XII the Unmoved Mover with “god” (theós), so the reference to these texts of the Physics is crucial in order to reconstruct the Aristotelian theology. While it is true that the characterization of the Unmoved Mover appearing in both works, namely, the Physics and the Metaphysics, is not identical, it can be noticed a family resemblance shared by both versions.