Author ORCID Identifier

https://orcid.org/0009-0007-0245-5411

Date of Award

Winter 4-6-2026

Document Type

Thesis (Undergraduate)

Department

Classics

First Advisor

Prof. Håkan P. Tell

Second Advisor

Prof. Alexandra Schultz

Abstract

This thesis examines the relationship between the existence of infinity and the nature of time as presented in Aristotle’s Physics, arguing that his two theories come into tension at two points. The Introduction sets out the purpose and methodology of the study and offers an overview of the historical reception and influence of Aristotle’s teaching on the infinite. Chapter I outlines this teaching, examining Aristotle’s reasons for categorising instances of the infinite through several dichotomies, most notably the distinction between actual and potential existence, before presenting his arguments for rejecting the existence of an actual infinity. Chapter II turns to Aristotle’s theory of time in relation to the infinite, arguing that he conceived of time as eternal, having neither beginning nor end, and as infinitely divisible while nonetheless featuring indivisible moments, each of which he calls a ‘now’ (νῦν). Two tensions emerge from this account: the eternality of the past, which appears to imply an actual infinity in addition, and the presence of indivisible ‘nows’ within an infinitely divisible continuum, which suggests an actual infinity in division. Chapter III investigates the problem posed by the ‘now’, establishing that time is continuous and therefore infinitely divisible, that moments are themselves indivisible, and examining whether such moments can properly be said to exist within time. Chapter IV addresses the problem of the eternal past, evaluating several proposed resolutions before concluding that none successfully resolves the apparent infinity in time while remaining faithful to Aristotle’s broader conception of temporality. The concluding section summarizes the thesis’s findings and discusses its limitations, suggesting possible directions for further research.

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