Hegel's Lectures on the History of Philosophy: Volume 1 (of 3)Hegel, Georg Wilhelm Friedrich
Philosophy
Hegel's Lectures on the History of Philosophy: Volume 1 (of 3)
Hegel, Georg Wilhelm Friedrich
Philosophy -- History
Zeno’s utterances are to be looked at from this point of view, not as
being directed against the reality of motion, as would at first appear,
but as pointing out how movement must necessarily be determined, and
showing the course which must be taken. Zeno now brings forward four
different arguments against motion; the proofs rest on the infinite
divisibility of space and time.
(a) This is his first form of argument:—“Movement has no truth,
because what is in motion must first reach the middle of the space
before arriving at the end.” Aristotle expresses this thus shortly,
because he had earlier treated of and worked out the subject at length.
This is to be taken as indicating generally that the continuity of
space is presupposed. What moves itself must reach a certain end, this
way is a whole. In order to traverse the whole, what is in motion must
first pass over the half, and now the end of this half is considered as
being the end; but this half of space is again a whole, that which also
has a half, and the half of this half must first have been reached, and
so on into infinity. Zeno here arrives at the infinite divisibility of
space; because space and time are absolutely continuous, there is no
point at which the division can stop. Every dimension (and every time
and space always have a dimension) is again divisible into two halves,
which must be measured off; and however small a space we have, the
same conditions reappear. Movement would be the act of passing through
these infinite moments, and would therefore never end; thus what is in
motion cannot reach its end. It is known how Diogenes of Sinope, the
Cynic, quite simply refuted these arguments against movement; without
speaking he rose and walked about, contradicting them by action.[60]
But when reasons are disputed, the only valid refutation is one derived
from reasons; men have not merely to satisfy themselves by sensuous
assurance, but also to understand. To refute objections is to prove
their non-existence, as when they are made to fall away and can hence
be adduced no longer; but it is necessary to think of motion as Zeno
thought of it, and yet to carry this theory of motion further still.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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