Kitap 11
4
By positive I mean that which is denoted by an affirmation. Thus there must be three forms of change; for that which is from negative into negative is not change, because they are neither contraries nor contradictories, since they entail no opposition. The change from the negative into its contradictory positive is generation—absolute change absolute generation, and qualified change qualified generation; and the change from the positive to the negative is destruction—absolute change absolute destruction, and qualified change qualified destruction.The change from positive to positive is omitted here (but cf. sect. 7). Aristotle no doubt intended to use it as an example of non-substantial change, e.g. from poor man to rich man; but since this can be regarded as change from poor man to not-poor man, or not-rich man to rich man, he includes it as a qualified type of substantial change.
5
Now if what is not has several meanings, and neither that which implies a combination or separation of terms,i.e., falsity. Cf. Aristot. Met. 9.10.1. nor that which relates to potentiality and is opposed to unqualified Being, admits of motion (not-white or not-good, however, admits of motion accidentally, because not-white may be a man; but that which is not so-and-so in an absolute sense does not admit of it at all), then what is not cannot be moved. If this is so, generation cannot be motion; for it is what is not that is generated.
6
For even if the generation is in the highest degree accidental, still it is true to say that not-being is predicable of that which is generated absolutely. And the argument applies similarly to rest. Thus not only do these difficult conclusions follow, but also that everything which is moved is in a place, whereas what is not is not in a place; for then it would be somewhere. Nor is destruction motion; for the contrary of motion is motion or rest, but the contrary of destruction is generation.
