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古希臘哲學專題
國立清華大學哲學研究所 陳斐婷
Aristotle’s life
• Socrates 470-399 BCE
• Plato 427-347
• Aristotle 384-322
• Early years in Stageira 384-367
• First Athenian period 367-347
What led Aristotle to leave the Academy?
Speusipups, Xenocrates, Aristotle
Jaeger’s assumption
Lloyd’s objection
• Period of travel 347-335
Teaching the 13 years old Alexander for two years
Aristotle’s life
• Second period in Athens 335-323
The wooded grove of the Lyceum provided an ideal setting for
what tradition reports as his favorite way of teaching—taking a
walk (peripatos) “up and down philosophizing together with his
students…hence the name ‘Peripatetic’” (Diogenes Laertius
V.2). The school is reputed to have had a major library.
• Alexander the Great died in 323
Diogenes Laertius (V.1.6) reports that Aristotle “was indicated
for impiety by Eurymedon.”
• Last Year in Chalcis, Euboia (322)
Many report that he died on account of his deep sorrow for
being unable to explain the powerful tide currents of Euripus.
Editions of Aristotle’s works
• Diogenes Laertius (third century CE) credits Aristotle with 143 works;
Hesychius (six century CE) attributes to him 187; and the Ptolemy alGarib (four century CE) catalogue includes 99 works.
• Andronicus, the first editor of Aristotle’s works around the middle of
first century BCE.
• According to Düring, Theophrastus inherited the Lyceum library and
passed onto Neleus, who took it to the city of Scepsis in Asia Minor.
The contents of Aristotle’s library remained hidden for almost two
centuries, till they were moved first to Athens and then to Rome
where Androicus prepared his edition.
Düring on Andronicus’ editorial principles
• Andronicus proceeded to (a) organize the treatises according to
subject-matter, disregarding their chronology; (b) artificially create a
department of knowledge called “metaphysics,” corresponding to
Aristotle’s “first philosophy,” (c) accept the distinction between
exoteric and esoteric; and (d) see logic and dialectics as the
instruments of philosophy and arrange all the logical writings in a
corpus to which he gave the name Organon.
• Düring argues that Andronicus had worked out a comprehensive view
of Aristotle as a systematic thinker and of the contents of his many
treatises as the articulation of a single system.
• “In his work on Aristotle’s writings Andronicus was inspired by some
typically Hellenistic but very un-Aristotelian ideas. He believed that
Aristotle had written his scholarly treatises as part of a philosophic
system; he tried to arrange the writings according to this idea” (Düring
1957: 422-3)
Düring on Andronicus’ editorial principles
• Düring argues that Andronicus had worked out a comprehensive view
of Aristotle as a systematic thinker and of the contents of his many
treatises as the articulation of a single system.
• “In his work on Aristotle’s writings Andronicus was inspired by some
typically Hellenistic but very un-Aristotelian ideas. He believed that
Aristotle had written his scholarly treatises as part of a philosophic
system; he tried to arrange the writings according to this idea” (Düring
1957: 422-3)
• The modern edition of Aristotle’s works by Immanuel Bekker (Berlin
1831) derives directly from Andronicus’ edition.
• Questions:
(1) From the fact that Aristotle did not name of his treatises
Metaphysics does it follow that he had no conception of metaphysics
as a subfield of inquiry?
(2) Aristotle had no system whatsoever and that Andronicus imposed
a comprehensive one on his work?
Chronology of Aristotle’s Works
(1) Cross-references within Aristotle’s works
Ross’ criterion (e.g., NE VI.3 and An. Post)
Barnes’ doubts
(2) References to historical events in Aristotle’s works
Pol (V.10) the assassination of King Philip of Macedonia in 336
(3) Philosophical views, presuppositions, or advances
This approach relies on comparing how developed or mature a
view or an argument is. (e.g., the accounts of the good and the
virtues in the EE seem to be further developed and refined in
the NE)
(4) Stylometry
Linguistic features of the texts
Development of Aristotle’s thought
• The static interpretation: comprehensive, consistent, and static
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system
Werner Jaeger’s interpretation
Aristoteles, Grundlegung einer Geschichte seiner Entwicklung, 1923
(Aristotle: Fundamentals of the History of his Development, 1934)
Owen’s interpretation (1986) also see Düring (2005)
Aristotle’s early dialogues does not reflect a blind faithfulness to
Plato’s doctrines (see Ackrill 1981: 4, Barnes 1995: 17, Lloyd 1968:
19-41)
“It makes no sense to attempt to provide a chronology of Aristotle’s
writings” (Barnes 1995: 21)
Barnes’ suggestion: problem-solving interpretation (1995)
Further readings
• First two chapters in the Blackwell Companion to Aristotle, ed. by
Georgios Anagnostopoulos, 2009.
• First chapter in the Cambridge Companion to Aristotle, ed. by
Jonathan Barnes, 1995.
Aristotle’s Physics
Physics 1.1, 184a10-21
Physics 1.5, 188a31-b3
Physics 1.7, 190b29-191a12
Physics 1.7, 190b29-191a12
Physics 2.1, 192b8-193a3
Physics 2.1, 192b8-193a3
Physics 2.1, 192b8-193a3
Next week 09/20
• 原典Aristotle Physics Book I
• 學術文獻 “Aristotle on the principle of change in Physics
I,” David Bostock, Language and Logos, pp.179-196