Long Commentary on the de Anima of Aristotle

RY

O N T H E DE

ANIMA

onstration making known the subs ance of he difference between it and the substance o began to give he difference be ween t e in act For i is thoug t hat the imagina ion when we say that i s re ation o he intel ec he sense, namely, because i moves i , and e moved ought o be o the same spec es. gnitude is one thing, e c. That is, and since in en ion in virtue of which his individual d form, is ano her hing. For instance, this n, that is, the form in virtue of which this the water. Next he said; and so for many s in a similar way in many things, namely, d form. He said but not for all to make an nerally simple incomposite things. Next he g of flesh is the same as the flesh. That is, s are not found in all beings is (422) that in ing are the same, so that, for instance, the ecause [what is analogous to] the intention ot in matter.^-*® After he had introduced the the consequent. He said; [the soul] must ascertain [these], etc. That is, after it had been explained that sensible beings are divided into a twofold being, namely, into this singular and its form, the ascertaining power, that is, the apprehending [power], must apprehend these things eitfer in virtue of two powers or in virtue of one but [one operating] in two different dispositions. It will, however, be with two powers when it has 38, Quiditas et essentia in entibus simplicibus est idem. The same is found in the corr e s p o n d i n g p a s s a g e of he Middle Commentary u-jij J ^ l j

(2002), 1 1 3 1 7 ^yryi^ S j a ^ L J I j L ^ ' i l il)U

j-a L ^ i ^ U l j , "for he existence a n d essence of simple things are one

a n d the s a m e " Since the s m p l e entities are the i m m a e r i a l a n d separa e intellects, he m e a n i n g m u s t b e that if hey w e r e able to b e said o h a v e some essential n a t u e — f o r example, X — t h e n in them he b e i n g of X a n d X w o u l d b e the same T h i s is because they are not f o r m s in subjects but rather just simple forms A v e r r o e s s e e m s compelled to state it this w a y b e c a u s e he s closely f o l o w i n g a f a u l y t anslation of Aristotle's ex , but he m e a n i n g s clear e n o u g h There s no distinction of b e i n g or essence f r o m subject such that hese simple b e i n g s w o u l d b e composi e Ra her, in hese the actual b e i n g of he s mple entity s identical o ts essence Nevertheless,

should be noted that at

i4io| he asserts that " t w a s a l r e a d y e x p l a i n e d in First P h i l o s o p h y hat here is no f o r m free of potency without qualification except the First F o r m , w h i c h u n d e r s t a n d s n o h n g outside

se f

s b e i n g is i s quiddity Other f o m s , however, are n s o m e w a y d i f f e r e n t

n q u i d d i y a n d b e i n g " Cf B o o k 3, nn

06 a n d 107

3

417

s e w o r t h y , a n d the ac uaP^^ [good] be otherwise. (433326-30) d i n g is correct, w h l

activities w h c h

on are s o m t i m e s correct a n d someart always caus s motion, b cause t d t o w a r d w h a t is not correct motion only toward wha a y s cause motion oward wh ch ht

Int

-

s correct

Next he said

but

he appetitive p o w e r

o b e g o o d b u t is not T h i s g o o d

he g o o d c o m m o n o all, for that g o o d wi hout qualification ] i

egard

He meant

o all [goods], for

hat g o o d e x i s t i n g

n all things

i s e w o r t h y N e x t - h e said

h s ha for

a n d the

h a t is, a n d t h e g o o d w h i c h

s pu e

a y d i f f e r e n t f r o m the w a y in w h i c h n c y a n d s o m e t i m e s in act m o v e

3 8

Th s e n s

equir s hat w

Th s

u n d r s t a n d hat what is p r a i s e w o r t h y is s o m e h i n g

w h i c h is attrac ve for us That is, it s d e e m e d p r a i s e w o r t h y because w e find some g o o d in it to be des rab e 319

The Latin actuale here m a y ref ect a corruption of

"practical," nto

"ac ual," w i t h the loss of he notion of practical do ng conta ned n the G r e e k jipoKTOV Or

m a y reflect d i f f i c u t y in u n d e r s t a n d i n g J w h i c h

in fact a p p e a r s in the cor-

r e s p o n d i n g p a s s a g e of he a ternate ranslation Aristo le, DeAnima

( 954) The la ter is

kely he case since, as ndicated in he next note, A v e r r o e s g i v e s w o in erpre a ons of this ext c o r e s p o n d i n g to w o senses of

"ac ve" or " a c u a l " a n d "prac iced"

or "practical " T h e G r e e k here s rendered " N o w

hought is a w a y s right, but appeti e

a n d magination m a y be ei he r ght or w r o n g Tha is why, hough n any case it is he object of appetite w h i c h originates movemen , h s object m a y be ei her the real or the apparent g o o d To produce m o v e m e n t

he object m u s t be more than this

t m u s t be

g o o d that can b e b ought into b e i n g b y action; a n d only w h a t can be o t h e r w i s e han as it s can hus be brought nto being " bid ( 984) In the Middle Commentary w r i t e s o n l y of

j ^ t

g o o d " Middle Commentary

"the practical g o o d , " a n d says nothing of

Averroes he "actual

(2002), 127 14

320 In what fo lows A v e r r o e s g i v e s t w o nt rpr t t ons of h s T xt a n d f nds more suitable he second, w h i c h s in fact mor

n ccord w i t h th original t xt of Aristotle

Here in he first in erpretation A v e r r o s s uncertain about J Text That s he und rstands

h r

a

s

u s d in h Arabic

s conc rning th valu of what s in ac uality over

what s in potentiality r th r h n conc rning what s actual s practica I S e the p r e v i o u s note This also ff cts h comments of Averroes in the l n s w h i c h fol ow here

APHY

459

gales, "En

o no a la u n i d a d del en en

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Jean

Les Belles Lettres, 1978 g a l e s , "Bibliograf 'a sobr

las obr s de

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Tradition: Introduction to Read-

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(Cologne, 1996),

2 5 - 1 4 4 Leiden E J Br ll, 1999 hinking Th

E v o l v i n g Structure of A i -

Robert W i s n o v s k y ( d ), - 3 8 Pr nc ton M a r k u s Wi ner, 200

Reprinted f r o m Princeton

Papers: Interdisciplinary

]ournal of

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S

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1