  At this point, the philosopher turns his attention away from an analysis and critique of the king's theological assumptions to a systematic, topical exposition of his own largely Neoplatonic-Aristotelian views on cosmology and the prerequisites for human flourishing in the world as it is. Thus, he confidently maintains that God did not create man at all because the world is eternal, and human beings have never ceased coming into being from those who preceded them. The universe itself turns out to be a complex system of interacting causes and effects, which are necessarily connected to one another on various levels. Human beings, naturally enough, are constituted by and within this complex whole and combine within themselves diverse forms, dispositions, character traits, and qualities that reflect essentially three kinds of influences. These are, first, influences associated with one's parents and relatives, although we are not told whether these are primarily biological or psychological in nature; second, those associated with environmental conditions, both proximate and remote, such as air, climate, geographic location, types of food and water, as well as the movements of celestial bodies; third and finally, those associated with education and training, which realize and perfect each person's particular potentialities as fully as possible in order to complete an individual's development. Inevitably, these influences give rise to a wide array of individuals, with diverse aptitudes, perfections, and deficiencies in various combinations and proportions. Together, they constitute the entire human species, ranging from the most perfect and least deficient to the exact opposite.