Entity · philosophical_concept
Unmoved mover
A reference page linking a name, group, or concept to the materials that discuss it.
Aristotelian principle explaining eternal motion without its own transition from potentiality to actuality.
![Modern comparison of explanatory principles, not three names for the same god. Plato’s ordering does not establish creation from nothing; Aristotle’s mover is not automatically the biblical God. [6][7][13]](/media/1372)
Text
Metaphysics XII examines the need for a permanent, actual and immaterial principle, connected with thought and with moving as an object of desire or understanding. This explains motion in an eternal world, rather than a making that starts at a particular date. [1]
Later theology can reconstruct the principle’s relationship to creation, providence and will. A shared word “god” does not automatically identify it with every religious deity. Multiple celestial movers in chapter 8 also prevent presenting the theory as a simple declaration of biblical monotheismMonotheismBelief in a single God as the only deity, rather than merely the highest among several gods.Glossary · Click to read the explanation. The diagram compares concepts rather than supplying a complete proof.
References and notes
- Aristotle, Metaphysics XII, translated by W. D. Ross Selected passages in chapters 6–9; eternal motion, actuality, thought and multiple movers in chapter 8. Return to the text ↑
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IL Archive, «Unmoved mover», Edition 2, https://ilarchive.com/en/entities/unmoved-mover