Metaphysics, Nature - General & Miscellaneous, Nature, Philosophy of, Aristotle - Ancient Greek Philosophy
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Overview
This book examines Aristotle's metaphysics and his account of nature, stressing the ways in which his desire to explain observed natural processes shaped his philosophical thought. It departs radically from a tradition of interpretation in which Aristotle is understood to have approached problems with a set of abstract principles in hand - principles derived from critical reflection on the views of his predecessors. A central example in the book interprets Aristotle's essentialism as deriving from an examination of the kinds of unity that various sorts of things have, and from his account of elemental motion, alteration, transformation, and the growth of organisms. An important conclusion of this argument is that a substance may, under certain circumstances, lack some of its essential attributes. The book goes on to develop a notion of incomplete substance and explores the connection between Aristotle's concept of nature and its role in scientific explanation. In this way Cohen breaks down the sharp division that many interpreters have chosen to see between Aristotle's natural science and his philosophy. This is a major reevaluation of Aristotle's metaphysics that will interest philosophers, classicists, and historians of classical science.Editorials
From the Publisher
"This book includes interesting discussions of substance, nature, essence, living things, artifacts, parts and wholes, and prime matter, to name just a few topics. Anyone interested in Aristotle's metaphysics and natural philosophy should read it." Choice"Sheldon Cohen has written a remarkably concise and interesting book on a rather neglected topic within Aristotelian scholarship; namely, incomplete substances and their role in Aristotle's physics and metaphysics." John J. Cleary, Ancient Philosophy
Book Details
Published
January 1, 2003
Publisher
Cambridge University Press
Pages
204
Format
Paperback
ISBN
9780521533133