[Most Philosophers Maintain That Action Can Occur Only after Nonexistence]

Since it is plainly inconceivable for an effect to exist except after nonexistence, the philosophers counted nonexistence among the causes of action (1) and among the principles. They also held that “acting” and “being acted upon” are among the highest genera of accidents, referring to them (2) as action and passion.

If it were said, “The Creator produced something belonging to the world,” it would necessarily follow that “acting”—which is action—subsists in Him, and hence that the attributes they call accidents subsist in Him. It would also follow that action can occur only after nonexistence and is incompatible with the effect being beginningless and eternal.

They said: Since what they call motion, change (3), or action depends upon nonexistence, whereas nonexistence does not depend upon it, nonexistence is, in this respect, one of its principles. By this they mean that nonexistence is a condition for it. This is because no motion, action, or the like—what they may call change and the acquisition of perfection—can occur except through existence after nonexistence: either the nonexistence of something that had existed, or a continuing nonexistence, such as a thing attaining perfection lacking something that had been absent from it and which it then acquired. Thus, the thing undergoing change or attaining perfection (4), the moving thing, and the effect all depend upon nonexistence, whereas nonexistence does not depend upon them. Nonexistence therefore becomes a principle for them in this respect. Accordingly, action and passion as known in the world consist only in what (5) arises from the influence exerted by the agent and by the action. No action (6) or passion can be conceived without something coming into existence after nonexistence.