Page:O. F. Owen's Organon of Aristotle Vol. 1 (1853).djvu/30

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12
ARISTOTLE'S ORGANON.
[CHAP. V

nify a certain "quale."

ject is not one, as the primary substance, but "man" and "animal" are predicated in respect of many. Neither do they signify simply a certain quality, as "white," for "white" signifies nothing else but a thing of a certain quality, but the species and the genus determine the quality, about the substance, for they signify what quality a certain substance possesses: still a wider limit is made by genus than by species, for whoever speaks of "animal," comprehends more than he who speaks of "man."

21. Primary substance admits no contrary. It belongs also to substances that there is no contrary to them,[1] since what can be contrary to the primary substance, as to a certain "man," or to a certain "animal," for there is nothing contrary either at least to "man" or to "animal?" 22. Other instances. Now this is not the peculiarity of substance, but of many other things, as for instance of quantity; for there is no contrary to "two" cubits nor to "three" cubits, nor to "ten," nor to any thing of the kind, unless some one should say that "much" is contrary to "little," or "the great" to "the small;" but of definite quantities, none is contrary to the other. 23. Neither the greater nor less. Substance, also, appears not to receive greater or less;[2] I mean, not that one substance is not, more or less, substance, than another, for it has been already said that it is, but that every substance is not said to be more or less, that very thing, that it is; as if the same substance be "man" he will not be more or less "man;" neither himself than himself, nor another "man" than another, for one "man" is not more "man" than another, as one "white thing" is more and less "white" than another, and one "beautiful" thing more and less "beautiful" than another, and "the same thing" more or less than "itself;" so a body being "white," is said to be more "white" now, than it was before, and if "warm" is said to be more or less "warm." Substance at least is not termed more or less substance, since "man" is not said to be more "man" now, than before, nor any
  1. This, says Simplicius, is doubted by some, and indeed in his Physics, lib. i., Aristotle apparently contradicts his own statement above by instancing Form as the contrary to Privation, both being substantial; but Form is but partly, substance, and partly, habit, and only so much as it is the latter, is it contrary to Privation, not "quoad substantiam."
  2. This is true, discrete quantities being unchangeable, and definite in quantity.