The Concept Of Movement By Aristotle And Its Significance To The Theory Of Substance

The theory of substance is the most basic and original part in the philosophy of Aristotle, which was considered as the foundation of the understanding of beings. My thesis will explore the meaning of substance with the respect of movement which was pointed out by the phenomenology of M. Heidegger. With such kind of view, the essence of substance will be understood as its self-expression in the process of movement, which is its existence. My thesis will analysis the relevant chapters in Aristotle’s Metaphysics and discusses the relationship between the potency-actuality and the movement. With the respect of such relationship, the essence of logos that is discourse and conversance will be revealed. The metaphysical meaning of the self-expression of substance in the movement will be clarified with the new meaning of logos.Apart from the introduction, there are six chapters in my thesis. Chapter 1 sets forth the basic meanings of the concepts which will be discussed in the thesis, for example the substance, the movement the potency and the actuality. Chapter 2 was taken as a preparatory part for bringing the phenomenological analysis into view. This part will clarify the following questions:why potency and actuality must be connected with movement, their relationship with logos and the conclusion of various meanings of beings by Aristotle. Chapter 3 discusses two kinds of potencies, i.e. the active and the passive ones. The potency which refers going beyond itself and withdrawing back to itself will also be taken into account in order to emphasize the openings status of substance in movement. Chapter 4 will analyze the meaning of such opening status of substance, which is the incoming of substance with the disposition by logos which was taken as discourse and conversance. Chapter 5 focuses on the debate between Aristotle and the Megaric School in the 3ed chapter,9th book of Metaphysics. The actualization of potency and the tension which is innate in the theory of substance will be clarified. Such tension was reminded by the fact that substance stands in itself and the basic stance that substance presents itself in movement. This tension implies some kind of inner incoherence in the philosophy of Aristotle. Chapter 6 discusses the theory of substance which is the ancient foundation of modern western thought will result in the study and the disposition of the essence of substance. Those have been discussed here point out the difference between phenomenological stance and the traditional understand towards this problem and the practical sense of this difference.With the direction of the phenomenology, the thesis reinterprets some parts of the Greek text and displays some details which have been ignored in the traditional translation. In this way, the core point of view that substance presents itself in movement has been explicitly expressed. In such reinterpretation, we can see that the tension between substances which was understood in movement and which was understood in view of form in the theory of Aristotle. Such tension leaves the further question of the future research.