Topics Books I & VIII: With excerpts from related texts (Clarendon Aristotle) (Bks.1 & 8)

244 Pages·1997·1.16 MB·English

by  Aristotle

ARISTOTLE
Topics
Books I and VIII
with excerpts from related texts
Translated
with a Commentary
by
ROBIN SMITH
CLARENDON PRESS· OXFORD
CLARENDON ARISTOTLE SERIES
General Editors
J. L. ACKRILL AND LINDSAY JUDSON
Published in this series
Categories and De Interpretatione
1. L. ACKRILL
De Anima Books II and III
D. w. HAMLYN
New impression with supplementary material by Christopher Shields
De Generatione et Corruptione
c. 1. F. WILLIAMS
De Partibus Animalium I and De Generatione Animalium I
D. M. BALME
New impression with supplementary material by Allan Gotthelf
Eudemian Ethics Books I, II, and VIII
MICHAEL WOODS
Second edition
Metaphysics Books r, L1, and E
CHRISTOPHER KIRWAN
Second edition
Metaphysics Books Z and H
DA VID BOSTOCK
Metaphysics Books M and N
JULIA ANNAS
Physics Books I and II
WILLIAM CHARLTON
New impression with supplementary material
Physics Books III and IV
EDWARD HUSSEY
New impression with supplementary material
Politics Books I and II
TREVOR 1. SAUNDERS
Politics Books III and IV
RICHARD ROBINSON
New impression with supplementary material by David Keyt
Posterior Analytics
JONATHAN BARNES
Second edition
Other volumes are in preparation
This book has been printed digitally and produced in a standard spedfication
in order to ensure its continuing availability
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To
Carolyn

PREFACE
In 1968 G. E. L. Owen noted that the Topics was selected as the
subject of the third Symposium Aristotelicum because it was 'a
work rich in debatable material but relatively poor in commentar
ies'. Since that time, scholarly debate about Aristotle's conception
of dialectic and its relationship to his views on philosophical
method has become if anything more intense. However, despite
much excellent interpretative work, Brunschwig's Bude edition
remains the only commentary in any modern language, and as of
this writing even that is still limited to Books I-IV. A new English
translation and commentary are very much needed. The present
volume scarcely supplies that need, but I hope that it may serve as
a stopgap in the interim.
A number of scholars and scholarly audiences have endured my
translations and interpretations of one passage or another and
kindly ameliorated my errors; I am particularly grateful to Robert
Bolton and Charles M. Young. The Editors of the Clarendon Aris
totle Series, John Ackrill and Lindsay Judson, were a constant
source of help and good advice. I am especially indebted to Profes
sor Ackrill, who provided me with an endless stream of corrections
and suggestions: whatever I may have got right in this book should
probably be laid to his credit. Finally, I should like to acknowledge
the support of a sabbatical leave from Kansas State University,
during which much of the commentary was written.
vii

CONTENTS
ABBREVIATED TITLES OF ARISTOTLE'S
WORKS x
INTRODUCTION Xl
TRANSLA TION
Book I 1
Book VIII 20
COMMENTARY
Book I 41
Book VIII I04
EXCERPTS 165
NOTES ON THE TEXT 179
BIBLIOGRAPHY
GLOSSARY 193
INDEX LOCORUM 197
GENERAL INDEX 202
IX
ABBREVIA TED TITLES OF
ARISTOTLE'S WORKS
An. Post. Posterior Analytics
An. Pro Prior Analytics
Cat. Categories
DeAn. On the Soul (De Anima)
De Cael. On the Heavens (De Caelo)
De Int. On Interpretation (De Interpretatione)
EE Eudemian Ethics
EN Nicomachean Ethics
GA On the Generation of Animals
GC On Coming-to-Be and Passing Away (De Gener
atione et Corruptione)
HA History of Animals
Met. Metaphysics
Mete. Meteorology
PA On the Parts of Animals
Phys. Physics
Poet. Poetics
Pol. Politics
Rhet. Rhetoric
SE On Sophistical Refutations (De Sophisticis Elenchis)
x