Aristotle's On the Soul
Aristotle's On the Soul
Aristotle's On the Soul aims to uncover the principle of life, what Aristotle calls psuchē (soul). For Aristotle, soul is the form which gives life to a body and causes all its living activities, from breathing to thinking. Aristotle develops a general account of all types of living through examining soul's causal powers. The thirteen new essays in this Critical Guide demonstrate the profound influence of Aristotle's inquiry on biology, psychology and philosophy of mind from antiquity to the present. They deepen our understanding of his key concepts, including form, reason, capacity, and activity. This volume situates Aristotle in his intellectual context and draws judiciously from his other works as well as the history of interpretation to shed light on his intricate views. It also highlights ongoing interpretive debates and Aristotle's continuing relevance. It will prove invaluable for researchers in ancient philosophy and the history of science and ideas.
- Lays out how Aristotle uses soul as a unified principle to explain living activities and examines the sorts of causation which this involves
- Situates Aristotle in his intellectual context, showing readers how his theories build on and differ from those of his predecessors and how they set the agenda for future works
- Draws judiciously on Aristotle's other works and the history of interpretation to shed light on his intricate views
Reviews & endorsements
‘Aristotle’s On the Soul: A Critical Guide represents an important step towards showing that Aristotle’s ideas are relevant to twenty-first century investigations of the mind … The book offers a number of well-researched and philosophically interesting engagements with Aristotle’s text.’ Justin Humphreys, Bryn Mawr Classical Review
‘[This] book provides an excellent overview along with challenging interpretations of key philosophical problems discussed in Aristotle’s DA. It deserves a place on philosophers’ bookshelves.’ Attila Hangai, Journal of the History of Philosophy
Product details
April 2024Paperback
9781108725262
293 pages
229 × 151 × 17 mm
0.43kg
Available
Table of Contents
- List of contributors
- Acknowledgments
- List of abbreviations
- Introduction Caleb M. Cohoe
- 1. Hylomorphic explanation and the scientific status of the DE Anima C. D. C. Reeve
- 2. Aristotle on earlier definitions of soul and their explanatory power: DA 1.2-5 Jason W. Carter
- 3. Why nous cannot be a magnitude: DE anima 1.3 Krisanna Scheiter
- 4. Souls among forms: Harmonies and Aristotle's hylomorphism Christopher Shields
- 5. Aristotle on the soul's unity Christopher Frey
- 6. Aristotle on seed Jessica Gelber
- 7. The gate to reality: Aristotle's basic account of perception Klaus Corcilius
- 8. Aristotle on the objects of perception Mark a. Johnstone
- 9. Awareness and self-awareness in the Aristotelian tradition Katerina Ierodiakonou
- 10. Phantasia and error Rosemary Twomey
- 11. Intelligibility, insight, and intelligence Sean Kelsey
- 12. The separability of nous Caleb M. Cohoe
- 13. Thought and imagination: Aristotle's dual process psychology of action Caleb M. Cohoe
- Bibliography
- Index.
