Final answer:
The quote refers to transformation and change, a concept illustrating how something can evolve and alter while retaining its core identity, as seen in natural processes, social movements, and scientific phenomena.
Step-by-step explanation:
Understanding Transformation and Identity
The quote 'It's the instant when one thing is about to become something else...' refers to transformation and change. This concept explores the paradox of how something can evolve while still retaining its essential identity. For example, consider an acorn's transformation into an oak tree; it undergoes a thorough change yet remains essentially the same entity. This idea also applies to movements in society, such as the women's suffrage movement, which evolved its goals after achieving its initial aim.
Philosophers like Aristotle and Thomas Aquinas have depicted this transformation in terms of potentiality and actuality, suggesting that things strive from an incomplete state (potentiality) to a complete state (actuality). The process by which culture adapts and changes while maintaining stability is another example of constant alteration alongside persistence.
In the realm of physics, concepts like change in velocity and change in momentum exemplify transformation in a more scientific context.