Jewish philosophy -- Early works to 1800; Judaism -- Works to 1900; Philosophy, Medieval -- Early works to 1800
Again, in the body of each individual there are parts which are
intended for a certain purpose, as the organs of nutrition for the
preservation of the individual, the organs of generation for the
preservation of the species, the hands and eyes for administering to
certain wants, as to food, etc.; there are also parts which, in
themselves, are not intended for any purpose, but are mere accessories
and adjuncts to the constitution of the other parts. The peculiar
constitution of the organs, indispensable for the conservation of their
particular forms and for the performance of their primary functions,
produces, whilst it serves its special purpose, according to the nature
of the substance, other things, such as the hair and the complexion of
the body. Being mere accessories, they are not formed according to a
fixed rule; some are altogether absent in many individuals; and vary
considerably in others. This is not the case with the organs of the
body. You never find that the liver of one person is ten times larger
than that of another person, but you may find a person without a beard,
or without hair on certain parts of his body, or with a beard ten times
longer than that of another man. Instances of this phenomenon, viz.,
great variation as regards hair and colour, are not rare. The same
differences occur in the constitution of the Universe. Some species
exist as an integral part of the whole system; these are constant and
follow a fixed law; though they vary as far as their nature permits,
this variation is insignificant in quantity and quality. Other species
do not serve any purpose; they are the mere result of the general
nature of transient things, as, e.g., the various insects which are
generated in dunghills, the animals generated in rotten fruit, or in
fetid liquids, and worms generated in the intestines, etc. In short,
everything devoid of the power of generation belongs to this class. You
will, therefore, find that these things do not follow a fixed law,
although their entire absence is just as impossible as the absence of
different complexions and of different kinds of hair amongst human
beings.
In man there are substances the individual existence of which is
permanent, and there are other substances which are only constant in
the species not in the individuals, as, e.g., the four humours. The
same is the case in the Universe; there are substances which are
constant in individuals, such as the fifth element, which is constant
in all its formations, and other substances which are constant in the
species, as, e.g., the four elements and all that is composed of them.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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