The first mover as a cause of movement and as a source of order in the Universe

Abstract

This article questions the correlation between the first mover, the Heavens and subcelestial beings in Aristotle. It shows that Aristotle considers the first mover to be not only the principle of the celestial movement, but also the cause of the movement for every material being in the Universe. Since the movement brings about the interaction between the beings, the first mover – insofar as it causes the movement in the Universe – should be regarded as the principle of order in the Universe.

Keywords

• Ancient science
• Aristotle
• Physics
• dynamic