Aristotelianism in the First Century BCE: Xenarchus of Seleucia

241 Pages·2012·1.22 MB·English

by  Andrea Falcon

ARISTOTELIANISM IN THE
FIRST CENTURY BCE
ThisbookisafullstudyoftheremainingevidenceforXenarchusof
Seleucia, one of the earliest interpreters of Aristotle. Andrea Falcon
places the evidence in its context, the revival of interest in Aristo-
tle’sphilosophythattookplaceinthefirstcenturybce.Xenarchusis
oftenpresentedasarebel,challengingAristotleandtheAristotelian
tradition. Falcon argues that there is more to Xenarchus and his
philosophical activity than an opposition to Aristotle; he was a cre-
ativephilosopher,andhisviewsarebestunderstoodasanattemptto
revise and update Aristotle’s philosophy. By looking at how Xenar-
chusnegotiateddifferentaspectsofAristotle’sphilosophy,thisbook
highlightselementsofruptureaswellasstrandsofcontinuitywithin
theAristoteliantradition.
andrea falcon isAssociateProfessorofPhilosophyatConcordia
University, Montreal. He is the author of Aristotle and the Science
of Nature: Unity without Uniformity (Cambridge 2005) and Corpi e
movimenti:ilDecaelodiAristoteleelasuatradizionenelmondoantico
(Naples2001).

ARISTOTELIANISM IN THE
FIRST CENTURY BCE
Xenarchus of Seleucia
ANDREA FALCON
cambridge university press
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LibraryofCongressCataloguinginPublicationdata
Falcon,Andrea.
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p. cm.
Includesindex.
isbn978-0-521-87650-6(hardback)
1.Xenarchus,ofSeleucia,75b.c.–18a.d. 2.Aristotle. 3.Philosophy,Ancient. I.Title.
b626.x254f35 2012
185–dc23 2011030304
isbn978-0-521-87650-6Hardback
CambridgeUniversityPresshasnoresponsibilityforthepersistenceor
accuracyofURLsforexternalorthird-partyinternetwebsitesreferredto
inthispublication,anddoesnotguaranteethatanycontentonsuch
websitesis,orwillremain,accurateorappropriate.
InmemoryofBobSharples,
whosupportedthisproject
Aristotle’sphysicsisoneofthemostastonishingsystemshumanrea-
son has ever built; it gave answers to all the questions the ancients
had about the heavens and their motions, the elements and their
transformations, the most precise and complete answers offered up
untilthen,andalltheseanswerswerelogicallyorganizedinatheory
comparedtowhichallpriordoctrinesseemedtobemerebeginnings.
That such a system exercised on minds the powerful seduction that
mostoftheArabicorChristianphilosophersexperiencedintheMid-
dle Ages, is easy to understand. In contrast, it is surprising to learn
thattheimmediatesuccessorsofAristotleprovedthemselvestobe,in
general,rebellioustothisinfluence.
(PierreDuhem,LeSyst`emedumonde,vol.i,p.242,mytranslation)
Contents
Acknowledgments pageix
Listofabbreviations x
Introduction 1
part i
Xenarchus:themanandhiswork 11
11
1 Life
13
2 Affiliation
17
3 ThereturntoAristotleandPlatointhefirstcenturybce
21
4 Exegesisinthefirstcenturybce
25
5 Againstthefifthsubstance
27
6 Xenarchus’criticismofAristotle
32
7 Xenarchus’theoryofnaturalmotion
35
8 Xenarchus’explanationofcelestialmotion
36
9 XenarchusandtheHellenistictheoriesofmotion
40
10 Xenarchusstoicus?
42
11 XenarchusandAristotle’sethics
part ii
Texts,translations,andnotes 51
51
i Aristotle’sargumentsfortheexistenceofaspecialsimplebody
55
ii Xenarchus:thetestimonies
57
1 Life
63
2 Physics
126
3 Psychology
139
4 Ethics
157
5 OntheTimaeus
vii
viii Contents
part iii
Reception 167
167
1 XenarchusandthereceptionofAristotle’sphysicsinantiquity
176
2 XenarchusandPlotinus
183
3 VestigesofXenarchusintheMiddleAges
Conclusion 199
References 205
Indexofnames 220
Indexofpassages 222
Generalindex 227
Acknowledgments
This book carries forward the investigation I conducted in Aristotle and
theScienceofNature:UnitywithoutUniformity(Cambridge2005).While
workingonit,itbecamecleartomethatAristotle’sphysicsisbothexcep-
tionalandanomalousinthecontext ofancient physics; atthatpoint,the
decision to study the reception of this physics in the Peripatetic tradition
was easy to take. And when I discovered that this reception was at best
mixed,whatitmeanttobeaPeripateticphilosopherinantiquitybecame
an interesting and urgent question. This study attempts to answer that
question. I am throughout indebted to the work of Bob Sharples on the
Peripatetic tradition, which has been a model of scholarship as well as an
invaluablesourceofinformation.
IfinishedthebookwhileIwasawayfromteachingintheFallof2009.I
thankConcordiaUniversity,Montreal,forgrantingmeasabbaticalleaveto
completemytask.ThebulkofthebookwaswrittenwhileIwasamember
oftheInstituteforAdvancedStudyatPrincetonintheWinterandSpring
of2008.DuringthatperiodHeinrichvonStadenwasawonderfulmentor,
alwaysgenerousinadviceandsuggestions.SpecialthanksgotoAlanBowen
and Bob Todd, who were generous in reading early drafts of this book.
Their extensive comments have saved me from many mistakes. I am also
grateful to the anonymous reader for Cambridge University Press, whose
suggestionsonthestructureofthebookwereveryhelpful.
ix