Philoponus: On Aristotle On Coming to be and Perishing 2.5-11
Philoponus: On Aristotle On Coming to be and Perishing 2.5-11

Author: Philoponus,

Publisher: A&C Black

Published: 2014-04-22

Total Pages: 233

ISBN-13: 147250125X

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Until the launch of this series over ten years ago, the 15,000 volumes of the ancient Greek commentators on Aristotle, written mainly between 200 and 600 AD, constituted the largest corpus of extant Greek philosophical writings not translated into English or other European languages. Subjects covered in this, the third and last, volume of translation of this work include: why the elements are four in number; what's wrong with Empedocles' theory of elements; how homogeneous stuffs, particularly the tissues of a living body, come to be and consist of the elements. The volume also contains very important discussions of causes, particularly of efficient cause, and of necessity in the sphere of generation and corruption. It is of interest to students of ancient philosophy and science (the commentary draws on earlier philosophical and medical texts); of Patristics and Christian Theology (it allows comparison of Philoponus' later creationist doctrine with his earlier ideas about generation); of medieval philosophy (this text was known to the Arabs; it is used by Avicenna and Averroes); and to anyone with interest in the metaphysics of causation, emergence, necessity and determinism.

Philoponus: On Aristotle On Coming-to-Be and Perishing 1.1-5
Philoponus: On Aristotle On Coming-to-Be and Perishing 1.1-5

Author: C.J.F. Williams

Publisher: A&C Black

Published: 2014-04-10

Total Pages: 206

ISBN-13: 1780938683

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The first five chapters of Aristotle's De Generatione et Corruptione distinguish creation and destruction from mere qualitative change and from growth. They include a fascinating debate about the atomists' analysis of creation and destruction as due to the rearrangement of indivisible atoms. Aristotle's rival belief in the infinite divisibility of matter is explained and defended against the atomists' powerful attack on infinite divisibility. But what inspired Philoponus most in his commentary is the topic of organic growth. How does it take place without ingested matter getting into the same place as the growing body? And how is personal identity preserved, if our matter is always in flux, and our form depends on our matter? If we do not depend on the persistence of matter why are we not immortal? Analogous problems of identity arise also for inanimate beings. Philoponus draws out a brief remark of Aristotle's to show that cause need not be like effect. For example, what makes something hard may be cold, not hard. This goes against a persistent philosophical prejudice, but Philoponus makes it plausible that Aristotle recognized this truth. These topics of identity over time and the principles of causation are still matters of intense discussion.

On Aristotle's "On Coming to be and Perishing 2.5-11"
On Aristotle's

Author: John Philoponus

Publisher:

Published: 2005

Total Pages: 240

ISBN-13:

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"Subjects covered in this, the third and last volume of translation of Philoponus' commentary on Aristotle's On Coming-to-Be and Perishing, include: why the elements are four in number; what is wrong with Empedocles' theory of elements; and how homogenous stuffs, particularly the tissues of a living body, come to be and consist of the elements. This book also contains important discussions of causes, particularly of efficient cause, and of necessity in the sphere of generation and corruption. It will be of interest to students of ancient philosophy and science (the commentary draws on earlier philosophical and medical texts); of Patristics and Christian theology (it allows comparison of Philoponus' later creationist doctrine with his earlier ideas about generation); of medieval philosophy (there are a number of parallels with Averroes' commentaries on Aristotle's treatise); and to anyone interested in metaphysics of causation, emergence, necessity, and determination."--BOOK JACKET.

Simplicius: On Aristotle On the Heavens 1.3-4
Simplicius: On Aristotle On the Heavens 1.3-4

Author: Simplicius,

Publisher: A&C Black

Published: 2014-04-22

Total Pages: 232

ISBN-13: 1472501705

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This is the first English translation of Simplicius' responses to Philoponus' Against Aristotle on the Eternity of the World. The commentary is published in two volumes: Ian Mueller's previous book in the series, Simplicius: On Aristotle On the Heavens 1.2-3, and this book on 1.3-4. Philoponus, the Christian, had argued that Aristotle's arguments do not succeed. For all they show to the contrary, Christianity may be right that the heavens were brought into existence by the only divine being and one moment in time, and will cease to exist at some future moment. Simplicius upholds the pagan view that the heavens are eternal and divine, and argues that their eternity is shown by their astronomical movements coupled with certain principles of Aristotle. The English translation in this volume is accompanied by a detailed introduction, extensive commentary notes and a bibliography.

Simplicius: On Aristotle Physics 7
Simplicius: On Aristotle Physics 7

Author: C. Hagen

Publisher: A&C Black

Published: 2014-04-10

Total Pages: 202

ISBN-13: 178093422X

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There has recently been considerable renewed interest in Book 7 of the Physics of Aristotle, once regarded as merely an undeveloped forerunner to Book 8. The debate surrounding the importance of the text is not new to modern scholarship: for example, in the fourth century BC Eudemus, the Peripatetic philosopher associate of Aristotle, left it out of his treatment of the Physics. Now, for the first time, Charles Hagen's lucid translation gives the English reader access to Simplicius' commentary on Book 7, an indispensable tool for the understanding of the text. Its particular interest lies in its explanation of how the chapters of Book 7 fit together and its reference to a more extensive second version of Aristotle's text than the one which survives today.

Philoponus: On Aristotle Posterior Analytics 1.1-8
Philoponus: On Aristotle Posterior Analytics 1.1-8

Author: Philoponus,

Publisher: A&C Black

Published: 2014-04-22

Total Pages: 192

ISBN-13: 1472501519

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Aristotle's Posterior Analytics elaborates for the first time in the history of Western philosophy the notions of science and the requirements for the distinctive kind of knowledge scientists possess. His model is mathematics and his treatment of science amounts to a philosophical discussion, from the perspective of Aristotelian syllogistic, of mathematical proofs and the principles they are based on. Chapters 1-8 expound the foundations of Aristotle's theory, pointing out the similarities and differences between scientific knowledge and other types of knowledge, establishing the need for basic principles, and identifying the types of principles and the source of necessity associated with scientific facts. Philoponus' massive commentary, the most complete ancient discussion of Posterior Analytics Book 1, offers uniquely valuable testimony to the way this book was read and understood in late antiquity, as well as providing information on earlier interpretations. Of particular interest is Philoponus' account of scientific principles, which is based not only on Aristotle but also on the Greek mathematical tradition, especially Euclid and his commentator Proclus.

Simplicius: On Aristotle Physics 1.1–2
Simplicius: On Aristotle Physics 1.1–2

Author:

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing

Published: 2022-04-07

Total Pages: 273

ISBN-13: 1350285706

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With this translation, all 12 volumes of translation of Simplicius' commentary on Aristotle's Physics have been published (full list below). In Physics 1.1–2, Aristotle raises the question of the number and character of the first principles of nature and feels the need to oppose the challenge of the paradoxical Eleatic philosophers who had denied that there could be more than one unchanging thing. This volume, part of the groundbreaking Ancient Commentators on Aristotle series, translates into English for the first time Simplicius' commentary on this selected text, and includes a brief introduction, extensive explanatory notes, indexes and a bibliography. Previous published volumes translating Simplicius' commentary on Aristotle's Physics can all be found in Bloomsbury's series: - On Aristotle Physics 1.3–4, tr. P. Huby and C. C. W. Taylor, 2011 - On Aristotle Physics 1.5–9, tr. H. Baltussen, M. Atkinson, M. Share and I. Mueller, 2012 - On Aristotle Physics 2, tr. B. Fleet, 1997 - On Aristotle Physics 3, tr. J. O. Urmson with P. Lautner, 2001 - On Aristotle Physics 4.1–5 and 10–14, tr. J. O. Urmson, 1992 - On Aristotle on the Void, tr. J. O. Urmson, 1994 (=Physics 4.6–9; published with Philoponus, On Aristotle Physics 5–8, tr. P. Lettinck) - On Aristotle Physics 5, tr. J. O. Urmson, 1997 - On Aristotle Physics 6, tr. D. Konstan, 1989 - On Aristotle Physics 7, tr. C. Hagen, 1994 - On Aristotle Physics 8.1–5, tr. I. Bodnar, M. Chase and M. Share, 2012 - On Aristotle Physics 8.6–10, tr. R. McKirahan, 2001

Alexander of Aphrodisias: On Aristotle Metaphysics 5
Alexander of Aphrodisias: On Aristotle Metaphysics 5

Author: E.W. Dooley

Publisher: A&C Black

Published: 2014-04-22

Total Pages: 231

ISBN-13: 1780934513

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Aristotle was a systematic writer who often cross-referred to the definitions of terms given elsewhere in his work. Book 5 of the Metaphysics is important because it consists of definitions of the main uses of key terms in Aristotle's philosophy, and it is extremely valuable to have a commentary on this important text by Alexander of Aphrodisias, the leading commentator of his school. Alexander provides a detailed commentary on all of the thirty terms analysed in Book 5, weighing alternative interpretations of what Aristotle says one against another, defending Peripatetic views against actual and possible criticisms, and attempting to integrate what is said in Book 5 into the context of the Metaphysics as a whole.

Simplicius: On Aristotle On the Heavens 3.7-4.6
Simplicius: On Aristotle On the Heavens 3.7-4.6

Author: Simplicius,

Publisher: A&C Black

Published: 2014-04-22

Total Pages: 225

ISBN-13: 1472501632

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Commenting on the end of Aristotle's On the Heavens Book 3, Simplicius examines Aristotle's criticisms of Plato's theory of elemental chemistry in the Timaeus. Plato makes the characteristics of the four elements depend on the shapes of component corpuscles and ultimately on the arrangement of the triangles which compose them. Simplicius preserves and criticizes the contributions made to the debate in lost works by two other major commentators, Alexander the Aristotelian, and Proclus the Platonist. In Book 4, Simplicius identifies fifteen objections by Aristotle to Plato's views on weight in the four elements. He finishes Book 4 by elaborating Aristotle's criticisms of Democritus' theory of weight in the atoms, including Democritus' suggestions about the influence of atomic shape on certain atomic motions. This volume includes an English translation of Simplicius' commentary, a detailed introduction, extensive commentary notes and a bibliography.

Themistius: On Aristotle On the Soul
Themistius: On Aristotle On the Soul

Author: Robert B. Todd

Publisher: A&C Black

Published: 2014-04-22

Total Pages: 256

ISBN-13: 1472501861

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Themistius ran his philosophical school in Constantinople in the middle of the fourth century A.D. His paraphrases of Aristotle's writings are unlike the elaborate commentaries produced by Alexander of Aphrodisias, or the later Neoplatonists Simplicius and Philoponus. His aim was to provide a clear and independent restatement of Aristotle's text which would be accessible as an elementary exegesis. But he also discusses important philosophical problems, reports and disagrees with other commentaries including the lost commentary of Porphyry, and offers interpretations of Plato. Themistius' paraphrase of Aristotle's On the Soul is his most important and influential work. It is also the first extant commentary on this work of Aristotle to survive from antiquity. A rival to that of Alexander of Aphrodisias, it represents one of the main interpretations of Aristotle's theory of the intellect, which was debated throughout the Middle Ages and the Renaissance. It continues to be an important text for the reconstruction of Aristotle's philosophical psychology today.