P R E F A C E .

The first movement, which is the cause of others, is excluded.

Here he proves that animals cannot remain the same in number meaning the exact same individual, but they can indeed remain the same in species meaning the type of animal continues through offspring, and this is especially true of humans. It is questioned whether the same individual, once corrupted having died or broken down in number, can be regenerated. And it seems that it is so, because after thirty-seven thousand years, the constellation of the heavens will be exactly the same as it is now, according to Plato and the Astronomers. And therefore, at that time, we will be the same individuals in number, and we will sit in this or that school or lecture hall just as we do now—namely, in the Great Year original: "magno anno"; a cyclical period where the stars and planets return to their original positions, which some ancient philosophers believed caused history to repeat exactly. For this reason, Plato said that after the Great Year he must return to Athens and must lecture there again; the reason is that the entire constellation will return to that state. Therefore, when the same constellation returns, the same effects will return.

It has been stated, maintaining the opinion of Averroes An influential 12th-century Islamic philosopher and commentator on Aristotle and Aristotle in the fifth book of the Physics and in the book On Generation: this is not possible, because the generations and corruptions of that individual could not be immediate there is a gap in existence, and therefore time would intervene between them. And thus, a thing that is one in number is lost by a single change, according to the fifth book of the Physics.

But regarding the first doubt, it must be said that after the Great Year, it is possible for men to return who are very similar, so much so that they can hardly be distinguished, yet they are not the same in number. But one might argue that if the same material cause the physical matter a thing is made of remains, the effect will be the same in number. Re... original: "spondetur"; catchword indicating the next page begins with "is responded"