ARISTOTLE. 



53 



a. Nature is twofold^ namely. Form and Matter. 



For if we look to the ancient philosophers, such 

 as Empedocles and Democritus, it would seem that 

 matter alone should be regarded, for they attended 

 in a very small degree to form . . . but 

 it is the province of physical science to have a 

 knowledge of both. Further, it belongs to physical 

 science to consider the purpose or end for which a 

 thing subsists. The poet was led to say : — 



" An end it has, for which it was produced." 



This is absurd, for not that which is last deserves 

 the name of end, but that which is most perfect. 



b. Of Fortuity in Nature. 



Empedocles^ says that the greater part of the 

 members of animals were generated by chance; 

 while there are others who assign chance as the cause 

 of the heavenly bodies, and Intellect (or Design) as 

 the cause of all earthly bodies. But it is more 

 probable that the heavens should have been produced 

 by Nature, Intellect (Design), or something else of 

 this kind, and that they should exist through such 

 a designing cause than that frail and mortal animals 

 were produced by it; for order and a firm and cer- 



' Empedocles does not speak rightly when he says that many things are 

 inherent in animals because it thus happened in their generation; as for instance 

 a spine composed of many vertebra not produced for some purpose, but from 

 chance or accident. {Parts of Animals, Book I.) 



