For nothing is by
accident perishable. For what is accidental is capable of not being
present, but perishableness is one of the attributes that belong of
necessity to the things to which they belong; or else one and the same
thing may be perishable and imperishable, if perishableness is capable
of not belonging to it. Perishableness then must either be the essence
or be present in the essence of each perishable thing. The same
account holds good for imperishableness also; for both are
attributes which are present of necessity. The characteristics,
then, in respect of which and in direct consequence of which one thing
is perishable and another imperishable, are opposite, so that the
things must be different in kind.
Evidently, then, there cannot be Forms such as some maintain,
for then one man would be perishable and another imperishable. Yet the
Forms are said to be the same in form with the individuals and not
merely to have the same name; but things which differ in kind are
farther apart than those which differ in form.
Book XI
1
THAT Wisdom is a science of first principles is evident from the
introductory chapters, in which we have raised objections to the
statements of others about the first principles; but one might ask the
question whether Wisdom is to be conceived as one science or as
several. If as one, it may be objected that one science always deals
with contraries, but the first principles are not contrary.
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