Philosophical issues in Aristotle's biology / edited by Allan Gotthelf and James G. Lennox.

Format:

Book

Contributor:

Gotthelf, Allan, 1942-2013.

Lennox, James G.

Cambridge University Press.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Aristotle.

Biology--Philosophy.

Biology.

Biology--Philosophy--History.

History.

Biology--history.

Greece.

Medical Subjects:

Biology--history.

Greece.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (xiii, 462 pages) : illustrations

Place of Publication:

Cambridge [Cambridgeshire] ; New York : Cambridge University Press, 1987.

System Details:

text file

Summary:

Aristotle's biological works -- constituting over 25% of his surviving corpus and for centuries largely unstudied by philosophically oriented scholars -- have been the subject of an increasing amount of attention of late. This collection brings together some of the best work that has been done in this area, with the aim of exhibiting the contribution that close study of these treatises can make to the understanding of Aristotle's philosophy.

The book is divided into four parts, each with an introduction which places its essays in relation to each other and to the wider issues of the book as a whole. The first part is an overview of the relationship of Aristotle's biology to his philosophy; the other three each concentrate on a set of issues central to Aristotelian study -- definition and demonstration; teleology and necessity in nature; and metaph themes such as the unity of matter and form and the naturisubstance.

Over three-quarters of the essays are newly written, and much of the rest has been significantly revised. Although the book is addressed primarily to students of Aristotle's Philosophy, its ext ensive attention to the whole of his biological works should make it of interest to historians and philosophers of biology as well.

Contents:

[Pt.] I. Biology and philosophy : an overview

1. The place of biology in Aristotle's philosophy / D.M. Balme

2. Aristotle's biological universe : an overview / Montgomery Furth

3. Empirical research in Aristotle's biology / G.E.R. Lloyd

[Pt.] II. Definition and demonstration : theory and practice

4. Aristotle's use of division and differentiae / D.M. Balme

5. Divide and explain : the 'Posterior analytics' in practice / James G. Lennox

6. Definition and scientific method in Aristotle's 'Posterior analytics' and 'Generation of animals' / Robert Bolton

7. First principles of Aristotle's 'Parts of animals' / Allan Gotthelf

[Pt.] III. Teleology and necessity in nature

8. Aristotle's conception of final causality / Allan Gotthelf

9. Hypothetical necessity and natural teleology / John M. Cooper

10. Teleology and necessity / D.M. Balme

[Pt.] IV. Metaphysical themes

11. Aristotle's biology was not essentialist / D.M. Balme

12. Logical difference and biological difference : the unity of Aristotle's thought / Pierre Pellegrin

13. Kinds, forms of kinds, and the more and the less in Aristotle's biology / James G. Lennox

14. Animals and other beings in Aristotle / L.A. Kosman

15. Aristotle on bodies, matter, and potentiality / Cynthia A. Freeland

16. Aristotle on the place of mind in nature / William Charlton.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 424-430).

Includes indexes.

Electronic reproduction. Cambridge Available via World Wide Web.

Description based on print version record.

ISBN:

9780511552564

0511552564

Publisher Number:

99987385782

Access Restriction:

Restricted for use by site license.