Theory and Practice in Aristotle's Natural Science

This collection of groundbreaking new essays shows how Aristotle's natural science illuminates fundamental topics in his philosophy.

David Ebrey (Edited by)

9781107681040, Cambridge University Press

Paperback / softback, published 8 February 2018

269 pages
23 x 12 x 1.4 cm, 0.4 kg

'Ebrey and his contributors deserve thanks for showing new ways to appeal to Aristotle's practice to shed light on his theory, and vice versa.' Owen Goldin, Bryn Mawr Classical Review

Aristotle argued that in theory one could acquire knowledge of the natural world. But he did not stop there; he put his theories into practice. This volume of new essays shows how Aristotle's natural science and philosophical theories shed light on one another. The contributors engage with both biological and non-biological scientific works and with a wide variety of theoretical works, including Physics, Generation and Corruption, On the Soul, and Posterior Analytics. The essays focus on a number of themes, including the sort of explanation provided by matter; the relationship between matter, teleology, and necessity; cosmic teleology; how an organism's soul and faculties relate to its end; how to define things such as sleep, void, and soul; and the proper way to make scientific judgments. The resulting volume offers a rich and integrated view of Aristotle's science and shows how it fits with his larger philosophical theories.

1. Introduction David Ebrey
Part I. Matter: 2. The 'matter' of sleep Alan Code
3. Are facts about matter primitive? Jessica Gelber
4. Blood, matter, and necessity David Ebrey
Part II. Teleology: 5. 'And these things follow': teleology, necessity, and explanation in Aristotle's Meteorologica Margaret Scharle
6. Aristotle on the cosmological significance of biological generation Devin Henry
7. The two kinds of end in Aristotle: the view from the De Anima Thomas K. Johansen
8. Two conceptions of soul in Aristotle Christopher Frey
Part III. Methodology: 9. Aristotle's architectonic sciences Monte Ransome Johnson
10. Varieties of definition David Sedley
11. Empty words Sean Kelsey
12. The scientific role of Eulogos in Aristotle's Cael II 12 Andrea Falcon and Mariska Leunissen.

Subject Areas: Biology, life sciences [PS], History of science [PDX], Philosophy of science [PDA], Science: general issues [PD], Philosophy of mind [HPM], Phenomenology & Existentialism [HPCF3], Western philosophy: Ancient, to c 500 [HPCA], History of Western philosophy [HPC], Philosophy [HP], Classical history / classical civilisation [HBLA1]