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Aristotle's A ccount of Time

Aristotle's A ccount of Time 148 Aristotle's A ccount of Time DAVID BOSTOCK I. Time and Movement Aristotle begins his positive account of time in Physics A by saying (218b9) that time most appears to be a kind of change or movement, yet this cannot be quite right for two reasons: (i) that any change or movement has a particular location in space, whereas time does not, and (ii) that move- ments are fast or slow while time is not. Nevertheless, he goes on (218b21- 2 19a 10), time is 'not without movement', and in support of this claim he offers the argument that we notice that time has passed when and only when we notice that some movement has occurred. The premise is false, and the argument is inadequate. The argument is inadequate because, of course, time may pass without our noticing it (as when we are asleep), and there is no obvious reason to think that during all that time there has been movement, even if we grant that when we do notice the passing of time that is because we notice some movement. But the premise is false anyway, because we notice that time has passed not only when we http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png Phronesis Brill

Aristotle's A ccount of Time

Bostock, David
Phronesis , Volume 25 (1-2): 148 – Jan 1, 1980
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Publisher
Brill
Copyright
© 1980 Koninklijke Brill NV, Leiden, The Netherlands
ISSN
0031-8868
eISSN
1568-5284
DOI
10.1163/156852880X00098
Publisher site
See Article on Publisher Site

Abstract

148 Aristotle's A ccount of Time DAVID BOSTOCK I. Time and Movement Aristotle begins his positive account of time in Physics A by saying (218b9) that time most appears to be a kind of change or movement, yet this cannot be quite right for two reasons: (i) that any change or movement has a particular location in space, whereas time does not, and (ii) that move- ments are fast or slow while time is not. Nevertheless, he goes on (218b21- 2 19a 10), time is 'not without movement', and in support of this claim he offers the argument that we notice that time has passed when and only when we notice that some movement has occurred. The premise is false, and the argument is inadequate. The argument is inadequate because, of course, time may pass without our noticing it (as when we are asleep), and there is no obvious reason to think that during all that time there has been movement, even if we grant that when we do notice the passing of time that is because we notice some movement. But the premise is false anyway, because we notice that time has passed not only when we

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Phronesis – Brill

Published: Jan 1, 1980

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