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
This is also apparent in mechanics; of two bodies the question as
to which moves presents itself before us. It requires more than two
places—three at least—to determine which of them moves. But it is
correct to say this, that motion is plainly relative; whether in
absolute space the eye, for instance, rests, or whether it moves,
is all the same. Or, according to a proposition brought forward by
Newton, if two bodies move round one another in a circle, it may be
asked whether the one rests or both move. Newton tries to decide this
by means of an external circumstance, the strain on the string. When I
walk on a ship in a direction opposed to the motion of the ship, this
is in relation to the ship, motion, and in relation to all else, rest.
In both the first proofs, continuity in progression has the
predominance; there is no absolute limit, but an overstepping of all
limits. Here the opposite is established; absolute limitation, the
interruption of continuity, without however passing into something
else; while discretion is presupposed, continuity is maintained.
Aristotle says of this proof: “It arises from the fact that it is taken
for granted that time consists of the Now; for if this is not conceded,
the conclusions will not follow.”
(d) “The fourth proof,” Aristotle continues, “is derived from similar
bodies which move in opposite directions in the space beside a similar
body, and with equal velocity, one from one end of the space, the other
from the middle. It necessarily results from this that half the time
is equal to the double of it. The fallacy rests in this, that Zeno
supposes that what is beside the moving body, and what is beside the
body at rest, move through an equal distance in equal time with equal
velocity, which, however, is untrue.”
1
_E_|——|——|——|——|_F_
_k_ _i_ _m_
_C_|——|——|——|——|_D_
_g_ _n_ _h_
_A_|——|——|——|——|_B_
In a definite space such as a table (A B) let us suppose two bodies
of equal length with it and with one another, one of which (C D) lies
with one end (C) on the middle (g) of the table, and the other (E F),
being in the same direction, has the point (E) only touching the end
of the table (h); and supposing they move in opposite directions, and
the former (C D) reaches in an hour the end (h) of the table; we have
the result ensuing that the one (E F) passes in the half of the time
through the same space (i k) which the other does in the double (g h);
hence the half is equal to the double. That is to say, this second
passes (let us say, in the point l) by the whole of the first C D. In
the first half-hour l goes from m to i, while k only goes from g to n.
1
_E_|——|——|——|——|_F_
_k_ _o_ _i_ _m_
_C_|——|——|——|——|_D_
_g_ _n_ _h_
_A_|——|——|——|——|_B_
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