The Philosophy of Roger Bacon

the Greeks

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by reason of unity or contrariety ãov? by reason of holding by reason that

likewise

that is

If, however, earth is the extreme, and contrariety contrarietas; the Aristotelian principle that physical change occurs between opposing qualities, such as hot/cold or dry/wet is a certain division in val??? so that there will be only two elements original: ela, an abbreviation for elementa, it cannot be said that all things will be [only] two. Matter, air, and water are "means" media; intermediate substances that bridge the gap between extremes which are positioned well, just as it is in colors and many other things. For that which is in the middle—the mean—is composed of the extremes, and thus the mean is opposed to each genus by reason of both. For example: a pale color, by reason of its whiteness, is contrary to black; and by reason of its being more black, it is contrary to white.

Likewise, mud original: limus; often used in medieval science to describe a composite of earth and water, which is a mean, is not [simply] opposed, because it is a mixture, just as the Stagirite original: stagirite; a standard medieval reference to Aristotle, who was born in Stagira says, composed of substance and bitterness original: amaroze; potentially a reference to the 'bitter' or 'salty' qualities of certain elemental mixtures, because water is cold and moist and earth [is cold and dry]. Therefore, in these two qualities eva bo nu?... But nonetheless, even if it is said through the aforementioned things that one thing is contrary to another simply, yet it can be contrary to many things by reason of their plurality and by reason of their qualities.

For instance, fire is contrary to earth, which is in te? absolute levity leve; the quality of "lightness" or the natural tendency to rise upward and a secondary thing. Water and earth are contrary by reason of the "light" and the "heavy" grave; gravity, or the natural tendency to fall toward the center of the universe. And therefore, through the quality of water's contrariety, it is also contrary. [Air] is a mean, being simply light [compared to water] and heavy in respect to [fire]; and it is contrary to earth through the contrariety that exists between absolute levity and gravity.

It seems, nonetheless, to be true on the part of the light... and less, or just as the unequal "hot" is opposed to the "equal" by one contrariety. In this way, the "heavy" is opposed to the "light" as one genus. But under the first genus, earth and water are held under the "unequal," as the "more" and the "less."

If it is said that the elements are throughout the world, and yet the elements are the universe as a whole, it is generally said by certain people that it is not in their nature to imagine fire descending to any place of the worlds as the common people original: vulgus; the unlearned public ask, but a quality is given and required for the generation of the world. There is no universal influence which suffices to be generated through the power of the lower in a shared place.

If it is objected that fire is of a shining nature, yet light is not seen above in the stars, it is because it is not ingua??—some ignorant philosophers original: phi; abbreviation for philosophorum were accustomed to say that it is hidden by the light of the stars. To this, the solution is what we say: that it is a very great body, and the greatest of the stars, and that many of...