APPENDIX B 



But in fact Aristotle himself is prepared to go even further 

 than this. At Met. Z 1034 b 5 fF. he actually asserts that in 

 the case of spontaneous generation of natural objects their 

 matter can be set in movement by itself : it can supply itself 

 with the same movement as that which the semen supplies 

 (oaiDV ij vXt) Swarai /cat v(f>' avr'^s KiveiaOai Tavrrjv rrjv Kivrjaiv 

 TJv TO airepua Kivel). That is to say, it can supply itself with 

 everji;hing that in the normal way would have to be supplied 

 by the " form " in the parent creature which is already X in 

 actuality, or (in the case of arte/acta) by the " form " in the 

 ifivxr} of the craftsman. 



Perhaps Aristotle felt that this startling admission was in 

 some degree justified by the notion that even " that out of 

 which *" animals are generated is in a sense (f>vai,s (the e$ ov as 

 well as the kuB' o and the ii<f>' ov of their generation is " <^rai?," 

 Met. Z 1032 a ;24) " ; and, as we know, (ftvait never acts idly 

 but always has a reXos in view. Regarded in this way, 

 " matter," the e'f ov of living things, might be looked upon 

 as considerabl}' more than mere lifeless, inert material : and 

 in G.A. Aristotle does in fact ascribe even the possession of 

 t/wxtj to it, as we have seen. Thus, to classify the statements 

 he makes in G.A. : (1) The case of Testacea, which arise in 

 sea-water. Water contains pneuma, and pneuma contains 

 Soul-heat (§ 17). (-2) The case of animals and plants 

 spontaneously formed out of putrefying matter. Mistletoe 

 and similar plants are formed when either the soil or certain 

 parts in plants or trees become putrescent (715 b 27 ff.). 

 Now (i) Earth contains Water (§ 17), and, as we saw just 

 now (ihid.). Water contains pneuma, which contains Soul- 

 heat. And Soul is obviously present already in the plants 

 and trees upon which mistletoe, etc., grow, (ii) As stated 

 in § 13 above {G.A. 737 a 3 fF.), the heat of the Sun and of 

 animals can effect generation, and not only the heat of animals 

 which operates through semen, but also any other natural 

 residue which there may be has within it a principle of life. 

 This is no doubt intended to cover putrefying animal and 

 vegetable matter (expressly mentioned at H.A. 539 a -23 and 

 551 a 1 fF.), out of which some insects were supposed by 

 Aristotle to arise, and " putrefying soil " as well, which would 

 also qualify under (i) above. 



A further palliative might perhaps be found in the con- 



o See also the passages quoted at 741 a 1, n. 



585 



