Kitap 6
10
Now all causes must be eternal, but these especially; since they are the causes of what is visible of things divine. Hence there will be three speculative philosophies: mathematics, physics, and theology— since it is obvious that if the divine is present anywhere, it is present in this kind of entity; and also the most honorable science must deal with the most honorable class of subject.
11
The speculative sciences, then, are to be preferred to the other sciences, and theology to the other speculative sciences. One might indeed raise the question whether the primary philosophy is universal or deals with some one genus or entity; because even the mathematical sciences differ in this respect—geometry and astronomy deal with a particular kind of entity, whereas universal mathematics applies to all kinds alike.
12
Then if there is not some other substance besides those which are naturally composed, physics will be the primary science; but if there is a substance which is immutable, the science which studies this will be prior to physics, and will be primary philosophy, and universal in this sense, that it is primary. And it will be the province of this science to study Being qua Being; what it is, and what the attributes are which belong to it qua Being.
1
But since the simple term being is used in various senses, of which we saw that one was accidental , and another true (not-being being used in the sense of false); and since besides these there are the categories, e.g. the what, quality, quantity, place, time, and any other similar meanings; and further besides all these the potential and actual : since the term being has various senses, it must first be said of what is accidentally, that there can be no speculation about it.
