Simple English Aristotle, Physics Book 1, Chapter 1

Simple English Aristotle

To have knowledge about our objects of thought, we study regularities about them. A regularity of natural and specific occurrence is a principle. A constitutive regularity is a first principle.{1}

Our method is to work towards a truth we can find in nature. We begin with general occurrence and progress to what happens each time, given circumstance.

Resultant states, whatever their ■modi, are as names with regard to words: the entirety is indesignate, the same as a cycle unless we define its parts; we need to reject any nonessential premise, for our object of thought to be specific.{2}

Notes

{1} In American today, we often use the word factor, from Latin ■facere. The name factor derives from factoring in.

{2} Object of thought, object in short: a person, thing, animal, phenomenon, regard, idea etc. we think about; used to avoid enumerating on possible objects of thought.

■→This text is also available in Polish.

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