Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-dzt6s Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2025-01-06T04:17:00.715Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Neoplatonists on the place of Aristotle’s biological works

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  03 March 2023

Tianqin Ge
Tianqin Ge*
Affiliation:
Department of Philosophy and Science, Southeast University, China
*
E-mail: [email protected]
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

According to the Neoplatonic classification of Aristotle’s writings, it has often been claimed that his biological works were excluded from his physical writings, and do not form a part of Neoplatonic school curricula. In this paper, I shall challenge this view, arguing that there are reasonable indications that the Neoplatonists regarded most of Aristotle’s biological works (apart from the History of Animals) as a proper part of his natural philosophy, and as works which deserved serious study.

Keywords

NeoplatonismAristotlebiologyclassification of writings
Type
Research Article
Information
The Journal of Hellenic Studies , Volume 142 , November 2022 , pp. 144 - 165
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2023. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of the Society for the Promotion of Hellenic Studies

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Balme, D. (1991) Aristotle: History of Animals, Volume III: Books 7–10 (Cambridge MA)Google Scholar
Baltussen, H. (2008) Philosophy and Exegesis in Simplicius (London)Google Scholar
Baltzly, D. (2013) Proclus: Commentary on Plato’s Timaeus: Volume 5, Book 4 (New York)Google Scholar
Blumenthal, H.J. (1996) Aristotle and Neoplatonism in Late Antiquity: Interpretations of the De anima (Ithaca)Google Scholar
Bolton, R. (2009) ‘Two standards for inquiry in Aristotle’s De caelo ’, in Bowen, A.C. and Wildberg, C. (eds), New Perspectives on Aristotle’s De caelo (Leiden) 51–82 Google Scholar
Bydén, B. (2018) ‘Introduction: the study and reception of Aristotle’s Parva naturalia ’, in Bydén, B. and Radovic, F. (eds), The Parva naturalia in Greek, Arabic and Latin Aristotelianism (New York) 1–50 10.1007/978-3-319-26904-7CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cerami, C. and Falcon, A. (2014) ‘Continuity and discontinuity in the Greek and Arabic reception of Aristotle’s study of animals’, AntPhilos 8, 35–56 Google Scholar
Chase, M. (2003) Simplicius: On Aristotle Categories 1–4 (Ithaca)Google Scholar
Cohen, S.M. and Matthews, G.B. (1991) Ammonius: On Aristotle Categories (Ithaca)Google Scholar
Düring, I. (1957) Aristotle in the Ancient Biographical Tradition (Götheborg)Google Scholar
Falcon, A. (2017) ‘The place of the De motu animalium in Aristotle’s natural philosophy’, in Wians, W. and Polansky, R. (eds), Reading Aristotle: Argument and Exposition (Leiden) 215–3510.1163/9789004340084_009CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Falcon, A. (2021a) ‘The reception of the De incessu animalium ’, in Falcon, A. and Stavrianeas, S. (eds), Aristotle on How Animals Move: The De incessu animalium: Text, Translation, and Interpretative Essays (Cambridge) 19–31 10.1017/9781108868228.003CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Falcon, A. (2021b) ‘The reception of Aristotle’s biology in late antiquity and beyond’, in Connell, S. (ed.), The Cambridge Companion to Aristotle’s Biology (Cambridge) 246–6010.1017/9781108181792.016CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Falcon, A. and Leunissen, M. (2015) ‘The scientific role of eulogos in Aristotle’s Cael II 12’, in Ebrey, D. (ed.), Theory and Practice in Aristotle’s Natural Science (Cambridge) 217–4010.1017/CBO9781107295155.012CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Festugière, A.-J. (1966) Proclus: commentaires sur le Timée. Tome 1, Livre I (Paris)Google Scholar
Festugière, A.-J. (1968) Proclus: commentaires sur le Timée. Tome 4, Livre IV (Paris)Google Scholar
Freeland, C. (1990) ‘Scientific explanation and empirical data in Aristotle’s Meteorology ’, OSAPh 8, 67–102 Google Scholar
Gertz, S. (2018) Elias and David: Introductions to Philosophy with Olympiodorus: Introduction to Logic (London)Google Scholar
Giardina, G.R. and Gannagé, E. (2012) ‘Jean Philopon’, in Goulet, R. (ed.), Dictionnaire des philosophes antiques Va: de Paccius à Plotin (Paris) 455–563 Google Scholar
Golitsis, P. (2016) ‘John Philoponus’ commentary on the third book of Aristotle’s De anima, wrongly attributed to Stephanus’, in Sorabji, R. (ed.), Aristotle Re-Interpreted: New Findings on Seven Hundred Years of the Ancient Commentators (London) 393–412 Google Scholar
Golitsis, P. (2019) ‘μϵτά τινων ἰδίων ἐπιστάσϵων: John Philoponus as an editor of Ammonius’ lectures’, in Golitsis, P. and Ierodiakonou, K. (eds), Aristotle and His Commentators (Berlin and Boston) 167–9310.1515/9783110627640-013CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gotthelf, A. (2012) ‘Data-organization, classification, and kinds: the place of the History of Animals in Aristotle’s biological enterprise’, in Gotthelf, A., Teleology, First Principles, and Scientific Method in Aristotle’s Biology (New York) 261–9210.1093/acprof:oso/9780199287956.003.0012CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hadot, I. (1990) Simplicius: commentaire sur les Catégories, Fasc. I: introduction, première partie (p. 1–9,3 Kalbfleisch) (Leiden)Google Scholar
Hadot, I. (1991) ‘The role of the commentaries on Aristotle in the teaching of philosophy according to the prefaces of the Neoplatonic commentaries on the Categories’, in Blumenthal, H. and Robinson, H. (eds), Aristotle and the Later Tradition, OSAPh, supp., 175–89Google Scholar
Hadot, I. (2015) Athenian and Alexandrian Neoplatonism and the Harmonization of Aristotle, tr. Chase, M. (Leiden)10.1163/9789004281592CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hankinson, R.J. (2002) Simplicius: On Aristotle On the Heavens 1.1–4 (London)Google Scholar
Hatzimichali, M. (2021) ‘The early reception of Aristotle’s biology’, in Connell, S. (ed.), The Cambridge Companion to Aristotle’s Biology (Cambridge) 228–4510.1017/9781108181792.015CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hellmann, O. (2006) ‘Peripatetic biology and the Epitome of Aristophanes of Byzantium’, in Fortenbaugh, W.W. and White, S.A. (eds), Aristo of Ceos: Text, Translation, and Discussion (New Brunswick and London) 329–59Google Scholar
Hoffmann, P. (2015) ‘Le σκοπός du traité aristotélicien Du ciel selon Simplicius: exégèse, dialectique, théologie’, Studia graeco-arabica 5, 27–51 Google Scholar
Hoffmann, P. (2017) ‘I trattati di storia naturale e la zoologia nella classificazione neoplatonica degli scritti di Aristotele tra il V e il VI secolo d.C.’, in Sassi, M.M., Coda, E. and Feola, G. (eds), La zoologia di Aristotele e la sua ricezione dall’età ellenistica e romana alle culture medievali (Pisa) 145–69Google Scholar
Jaeger, W. (1913) ‘Das pneuma im Lykeion’, Hermes 48, 29–74 Google Scholar
Karamanolis, G. (2006) Plato and Aristotle in Agreement? Platonists on Aristotle from Antiochus to Porphyry (New York)10.1093/0199264562.001.0001CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kupreeva, I. (2011) Philoponus: On Aristotle Meteorology 1.1–3 (London)Google Scholar
Lennox, J. (1991) ‘Between data and demonstration: the Analytics and the Historia animalium ’, in Bowen, A.C. (ed.), Science and Philosophy in Classical Greece (New York and London) 261–94Google Scholar
Lennox, J. (1994) ‘The disappearance of Aristotle’s biology: a Hellenistic mystery’, Apeiron 27.4, 7–24 10.1515/APEIRON.1994.27.4.7CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lennox, J. (2001) Aristotle: On the Parts of Animals (New York)Google Scholar
Luna, C., Segonds, A.-P. and Endress, G. (2012) ‘Proclus de Lycie’, in Goulet, R. (ed.), Dictionnaire des philosophes antiques Vb: de Plotina à Rutilius Rufus (Paris) 1546–1674 Google Scholar
Martijn, M. (2010) Proclus on Nature: Philosophy of Nature and Its Methods in Proclus’ Commentary on Plato’s Timaeus (Leiden)10.1163/ej.9789004181915.i-362CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Moraux, P. (1973) Aristotelismus bei den Griechen Band 1 (Berlin and New York)10.1515/9783110827743CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Osborne, C. (2006) Philoponus: On Aristotle Physics 1.1–3 (London)Google Scholar
Papachristou, I. (2019) ‘Ammonius Hermeiou on the appearances of ghosts’, in Golitsis, P. and Ierodiakonou, K. (eds), Aristotle and His Commentators (Berlin and Boston) 151–6510.1515/9783110627640-012CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Perkams, M. (2018) ‘Proklos’, in Riedweg, C., Horn, C. and Wyrwa, D. (eds), Die Philosophie der Antike 5.3: Philosophie der Kaiserzeit und der Spätantike (Basel) 1909–71Google Scholar
Sharples, R.W. (1995) Theophrastus of Eresus: Sources for His Life, Writings, Thought and Influence. Commentary 5: Sources on Biology (Leiden)Google Scholar
Sirkel, R., Tweedale, M., Harris, J. and King, D. (2015) Philoponus: On Aristotle Categories 1–5 with Philoponus: A Treatise Concerning the Whole and the Parts (London)Google Scholar
Sorabji, R. (2014) ‘The Alexandrian classrooms excavated and sixth-century philosophy teaching’, in Remes, P. and Slaveva-Griffin, S. (eds), The Routledge Handbook of Neoplatonism (London and New York) 30–39 Google Scholar
Sorabji, R. (2016) ‘Dating of Philoponus’ commentaries on Aristotle and of his divergence from his teacher Ammonius’, in Sorabji, R. (ed.), Aristotle Re-Interpreted: New Findings on Seven Hundred Years of the Ancient Commentators (London) 367–92Google Scholar
Steel, C. (2003) ‘Why should we prefer Plato’s Timaeus to Aristotle’s Physics? Proclus’ critique of Aristotle’s causal explanation of the physical world’, in Sharples, R.W. and Sheppard, A. (eds), Ancient Approaches to Plato’s Timaeus ( BICS Supplement 78) (London) 175–87Google Scholar
Steel, C. (2009) ‘The divine earth: Proclus on Timaeus 40 BC’, in Chiaradonna, R. and Trabattoni, F. (eds), Physics and Philosophy of Nature in Greek Neoplatonism (Leiden) 259–8110.1163/ej.9789004173804.i-322.68CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Tarrant, H. (2007) Proclus: Commentary on Plato’s Timaeus: Volume 1, Book 1 (New York)Google Scholar
Tarrant, H. (2017) Proclus: Commentary on Plato’s Timaeus: Volume 6, Book 5 (Cambridge)Google Scholar
Todd, R.B. (1984) ‘Philosophy and medicine in John Philoponus’ commentary on Aristotle’s De anima ’, DOP 38, 103–10Google Scholar
Trizion, M. (2018) ‘The Byzantine reception of Aristotle’s Parva naturalia (and the zoological works) in eleventh- and twelfth-century Byzantium: an overview’, in Bydén, B. and Radovic, F. (eds), The Parva naturalia in Greek, Arabic and Latin Aristotelianism (New York) 155–6810.1007/978-3-319-26904-7_9CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Urmson, J.O. (1995) ‘Simplicius’: On Aristotle On the Soul 1.1–2.4 (London)Google Scholar
van der Eijk, P. J. (2005) Philoponus: On Aristotle On the Soul 1.1–2 (London)Google Scholar
van der Eijk, P. J. (2006) Philoponus: On Aristotle On the Soul 1.3–5 (London)Google Scholar
Westerink, L.G. (1962) Anonymous Prolegomena to Platonic Philosophy (Amsterdam)Google Scholar
Wilberding, J. (2014) ‘Neoplatonism and medicine’, in Remes, P. and Slaveva-Griffin, S. (eds), The Routledge Handbook of Neoplatonism (London and New York) 356–71Google Scholar
Wilberding, J. (2015) ‘The revolutionary embryology of the Neoplatonists’, OSAPh 49, 321–61Google Scholar
Wilberding, J. (2017) Forms, Souls, and Embryos: Neoplatonists on Human Reproduction (New York)Google Scholar
Wilberding, J. (2018) ‘Late antiquity’, Phronesis 63.4, 477–9010.1163/15685284-12341358CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Williams, C.J.F. (2001) Philoponus: On Aristotle On Coming-to-Be and Perishing 1.6–2.4 (London)Google Scholar
Wilson, M. (2013) Structure and Method in Aristotle’s Meteorologica (New York)10.1017/CBO9781107337121CrossRefGoogle Scholar