The document summarizes Aristotle's Metaphysics, focusing on Book 6 E. It discusses how metaphysics differs from other sciences by studying being as being rather than a particular subject. It examines Aristotle's views on accidental being and how metaphysics excludes it. The document also analyzes Aristotle's views on truth and falsehood as types of being and non-being. Overall, it provides context on Aristotle's conceptualization of metaphysics as the study of universal principles of being.

1. Metaphysica of Aristotle
(Book 6 E)
with commentaries of St. Thomas Aquinas

2. Outline of Topic
Short Introduction
The Method of Investigating Being as Being. how This Science Differs from the
Other Sciences
The Being Which This Science Investigates
Refutation of Those Who Wished to Abolish the Accidental
The True and the False as Being and Non-Being. Accidental Being and Being in the
Sense of the True Are Excluded from This Science
Conclusion
Bibliography and Sources
2

3. Introduction
3

4. Aristotle himself described his subject matter in
a variety of ways: as ‘first philosophy’, or ‘the
study of being qua being’, or ‘wisdom’, or
‘theology’.
4

5. In Book Epsilon (6), Aristotle adds description to the study of
the causes and principles of beings “qua” beings. Whereas
natural science studies objects that are material and subject to
change, and mathematics studies objects that although not
subject to change are nevertheless not separate from matter,
there is still room for a science that studies things that are
eternal, not subject to change, and independent of matter.
Such a science, he says, is theology, and this is the “first” and
“highest” science. 5

6. Chapters I-IV
Let’s start with the first set of slides
6

7. In this brief book, Aristotle compares the science of
nature, mathematics, and theology. The science of
nature, or natural science, is that which studies natural
organisms and processes. All rational activity, or all
activity using the intellect, "can be divided into the
practical, the productive and the theoretical"
Chapter 1
7

8. We are seeking the principles and the causes of the things that
are, and obviously of them qua being. For, while there is a
cause of health and of good condition, and the objects of
mathematics have first principles and elements and causes
(1025b)
8

9. The science of nature investigates those things that
have within themselves a principle of change—that
is, something within them that determines their
growth, locomotion, and reproduction. The science
of nature is a theoretical science, as it is not directly
aimed at practice or production but rather aims for
theoretical understanding.
9

10. But all these sciences single out some one thing, or some
particular class, and confine their investigations to this, but
they do not deal with being in an unqualified sense, or as
being. Nor do they make any mention of the “whatness” itself
of things. But proceeding from this, some making it evident
by means of the senses, and others taking it by assuming it
[from some other science], they demonstrate with greater
necessity or more weakly the essential attributes of the class
of things with which they deal. (Commentary of Aquinas) 10

11. Now at the end of this chapter, we are
introduced to the idea that First Philosophy,
metaphysics, is ultimately the same as theology.
11

12. There must, then, be three theoretical philosophies,
mathematics, physics, and what we may call
theology, since it is obvious that if the divine is
present anywhere, it is present in things of this sort.
And the highest science must deal with the highest
genus. Thus, while the theoretical sciences are more
to be desired than the other sciences, this is more to
be desired than the other theoretical sciences. (1026a) 12

13. Chapter 2
Chapter 2 examines accidental being. Accidental being is that
which exists not of necessity and not for the most part—that is,
neither that which exists always nor that which exists most
frequently.
13

14. since the unqualified term ‘being’ has several meanings, of
which one was seen’ to be the accidental, and another the true
(‘non-being’ being the false), while besides these there are the
figures of predication (e.g. the ‘what’, quality, quantity, place,
time, and any similar meanings which ‘being’ may have), and
again besides all these there is that which ‘is’ potentially or
actually: being’ has many meanings, we must say regarding the
accidental, that there can be no scientific treatment of it. (1026a-
1026b) 14

15. there is no science of accidental being. If someone studies
humankind, for instance, the object of study encompasses
humankind's essential rather than accidental essence.
15

16. The whiteness of a man, Aristotle says, is
accidental being because "men are not always
or for the most part white." However, he adds,
"it is not an accident that he is an animal." That
a man is an animal is a necessary part of his
being; that a man is white is an accidental part
of his being. 16

17. Chapter 3
In this chapter it discusses that you cannot refute
the accidentals and that they are a certain chain
reactions which leads to a certain point of time.
17

18. That there are principles and causes which are
generable and destructible without ever being in
course of being generated or destroyed, is
obvious. For otherwise all things will be of
necessity, since that which is being generated or
destroyed must have a cause which is not
accidentally its cause. (1027a) 18

19. It may seem like a domino effect, A domino
effect or chain reaction is the cumulative effect
produced when one event sets off a chain of similar
events. This term is best known as a mechanical
effect and is used as an analogy to a falling
row of dominoes. It typically refers to a linked
sequence of events where the time between
successive events is relatively small. 19

20. Having drawn his conclusions concerning accidental being,
the Philosopher now rejects an opinion that would completely
abolish this kind of being. For some men held that whatever
comes to pass in the world has some proper cause, and again
that given any cause its effect necessarily follows. Hence, as a
result of the connection between causes it would follow that
everything in the world happens of necessity and nothing by
chance. (Commentary of Aquinas)
20

21. Chapter 4
In Chapter 4 we could find that for Aristotle,
truth is the expression of what is. In other
words, truth is the expression of being.
21

22. For we have sufficiently determined its nature.
But since that which is in the sense of being
true, or is not in the sense of being false,
depends on combination and separation, and
truth and falsity together depend on the
allocation of a pair of contradictory judgements.
(1027b) 22

23. Having drawn his conclusions about accidental
being, the Philosopher now settles the issue about
the being which signifies the truth of a proposition;
and in regard to this he does two things. First, he
determines the meaning of this kind of being.
Second, he excludes it from the principal study of
this science (commentary of Aquinas)
23

24. 24
Conclusion

25. Aristotle’s description ‘the study of being qua
being’ is frequently and easily misunderstood, for it
seems to suggest that there is a single subject matter
“being qua being” that is under investigation. But
Aristotle’s description does not involve two things;
first, a study and second, a subject matter (being
qua being) for he did not think that there is any such
subject matter as ‘being qua being’. 25

26. His description involves three things: (1) a
study, (2) a subject matter or being, and (3)
a manner in which the subject matter is
studied (qua being).
26

27. Of course, first philosophy is not the only field
of inquiry to study beings. Natural science and
mathematics also study beings, but in different
ways, under different aspects. The natural
scientist studies them as things that are subject
to the laws of nature, as things that move and
undergo change. 27

28. the natural scientist studies things qua movable
(they are subject to change). The mathematician
studies things qua countable and measurable.
The metaphysician, on the other hand, studies
them in a more general and abstract way “qua”
beings. So first philosophy studies the causes
and principles of beings qua beings. 28

29. THANKS!
Any questions?