Aristotle's De Anima: A Critical Commentary

598 Pages·2007·3.64 MB·English

by  Ronald Polansky

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Aristotle’sDeanima
Aristotle’s De anima is the first systematic philosophical account of the
soul, which serves to explain the functioning of all mortal living things.
In his commentary, Ronald Polansky argues that the work is far more
structured and systematic than previously supposed. He contends that
Aristotleseeksacomprehensiveunderstandingofthesoulanditsfaculties.
Bycloselytracingtheunfoldingofthemany-layeredargumentationand
the way Aristotle fits his inquiry meticulously within his scheme of the
sciences,Polanskyanswersquestionsrelatingtothegeneraldefinitionof
soulandthetreatmentofeachofthesoul’sprincipalcapacities:nutrition,
sense perception, phantasia, intellect, and locomotion. The commentary
shedsnewlightoneverysectionoftheDeanimaandtheworkasaunit.
Itoffersachallengetoearlierandcurrentinterpretationsoftherelevance
andmeaningofAristotle’shighlyinfluentialtreatise.
RonaldPolanskyisprofessorofphilosophyatDuquesneUniversity.Edi-
torofthejournalAncientPhilosophysincefoundingitin1979,heisthe
authorofPhilosophyandKnowledge:ACommentaryonPlato’sTheaete-
tusandcoeditorofBioethics:AncientThemesinContemporaryIssues.
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Aristotle’s De anima
RONALD POLANSKY
DuquesneUniversity
iii
CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY PRESS
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Published in the United States of America by Cambridge University Press, New York
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© Ronald Polansky 2007
This publication is in copyright. Subject to statutory exception and to the
provision of relevant collective licensing agreements, no reproduction of any part
may take place without the written permission of Cambridge University Press.
First published in print format 2007
ISBN-13 978-0-511-48028-7 eBook (NetLibrary)
ISBN-13 978-0-521-86274-5 hardback
Cambridge University Press has no responsibility for the persistence or accuracy
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accurate or appropriate.
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forSusan
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Thus it seems to me, he said, the person not knowing his own power is
ignorantofhimself.(cid:1)(cid:2)(cid:3)(cid:4)(cid:5)(cid:6)(cid:7)(cid:8)(cid:9)(cid:10)(cid:11)(cid:12)(cid:8)(cid:13)(cid:11)(cid:14),(cid:6)(cid:15)(cid:16),(cid:17)(cid:7)(cid:18)(cid:11)(cid:19)(cid:12)(cid:20)(cid:5)(cid:3)(cid:18)(cid:21)(cid:22)(cid:23)(cid:3)(cid:8)(cid:24)(cid:12)(cid:25)(cid:21)(cid:22)(cid:7)(cid:9)(cid:21)
(cid:26)(cid:10)(cid:21)(cid:8)(cid:11)(cid:14)(cid:21)(cid:27)(cid:22)(cid:28)(cid:3)(cid:29)(cid:21).
XenophonMemorabiliaiv2.25
Doyouthink,then,thatitispossibletoreachaseriousunderstandingof
thenatureofthesoulwithoutunderstandingthenatureoftheworldasa
whole?(cid:30)(cid:28)(cid:31)!(cid:5)(cid:8)"(cid:21)(cid:15)(cid:25)#(cid:9)(cid:21)(cid:26)$%(cid:4)(cid:5)&(cid:29)(cid:10)(cid:8)(cid:28)(cid:13)(cid:22)(cid:3)(cid:22)(cid:21)(cid:8)!#(cid:22)(cid:9)(cid:8)’(cid:11)(cid:9)(cid:12)(cid:28)(cid:21)(cid:22)(cid:3)((cid:21)(cid:11))(cid:21)(cid:22)(cid:9)*(cid:21)(cid:11)(cid:28)(cid:3)!(cid:5)
(cid:3)(cid:8)(cid:24)+&(cid:8)(cid:28)(cid:15)(cid:25)#(cid:11)(cid:4)(cid:5);
PlatoPhaedrus270c
His account of the soul is unclear: in three whole books you cannot say
clearlywhatAristotlethinksaboutthesoul.(,(cid:1))(cid:12)-.(cid:11)/01(cid:28)(cid:31)!(cid:5)(cid:22)2(cid:3)(cid:1)&(cid:29)(cid:10)(cid:8)(cid:5)
3#(cid:3)0(cid:21)(cid:26)#(cid:22)(cid:15)4(cid:5)53(cid:21)(cid:3)/(cid:9)#0(cid:10)6/#(cid:28)(cid:10)(cid:10)/7(cid:7)<(cid:7)>(cid:22)#(cid:9)(cid:21)+&(cid:8)(cid:9)(cid:5)(cid:8)2(cid:13)(cid:6)#(cid:3)(cid:9)(cid:21)(cid:11)(cid:19)8(cid:11)(cid:14)(cid:21)#(cid:22)(cid:15)9(cid:5)+
(cid:3)(cid:9)(cid:15)/(cid:8)(cid:21)(cid:11)(cid:14)8(cid:11)/01(cid:28)(cid:31)!(cid:5):/(cid:9)#(cid:3)(cid:8)(cid:3);&(cid:16)(cid:5).
HippolytusRefutatioomniumHaeresiumvii19.5
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Contents
Preface page ix
ListofAbbreviations xv
Introduction 1
commentaryondeanima
Book1
1 TheNobilityandDifficultyofStudyofSoul;ItsConnection
withBody 33
2 ThePredecessors’UseofSoultoAccountforMotionand
Perception 62
3 CriticismofPredecessors’WayofAccountingforMotion 83
4 CriticismoftheHarmoniaViewasanAccountofMotion 103
5 CriticismofPredecessors’WayofAccountingforCognition 123
Book2
1 DefinitionofSoul 145
2 WhatIsLife? 171
3 HowPowersofSoulAreDistributedandUnitedintheSoul 188
4 TheNutritiveFaculty:ItsObjectandSubfaculties 200
5 ClarificationofBeingAffected,LivingasSaving,andtheFirst
DefinitionofSense 223
6 TheThreeSortsofSensibleObjects 250
7 Vision,Medium,andObject 263
8 Hearing,Sound,andVoice 285
9 SmellandOdor 302
10 TasteIsaContactSense;theTasteable 313
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viii Contents
11 Touch,theTangibles,andSenseasaMean 321
12 DefinitionofSenseandWhetherSensiblesAffect
NonperceivingBodies 338
Book3
1 IntheWorldAsItIsThereCanBebuttheFiveSenses 361
2 WhatAllowsforPerceivingThatWePerceive;SenseJoinsina
CommonPowersoThattheFiveSensesAreSubfacultiesofa
CentralSenseFaculty 380
3 DistinguishingSenseandThought;WhatIsPhantasia? 403
4 WhatIsMindasThatCapableofThinkingAllThings 434
5 WhatEnablesThinkingtoOccur 458
6 TheSortsofIntelligibleObjects 473
7 PhantasiaHasaRoleinAllThinking 481
8 ThatMindCanThinkAllThings 494
9 ThereIsaCapacityforProgressiveMotion 501
10 TheDesiderativeCapacityIsthePrimaryCause
ofProgressiveMotion 514
11 EventheSimplestAnimalsHaveIndefinitePhantasia,and
CalculativePhantasiaFitstheAccountofProgressiveMotion 527
12 TheNecessaryOrderoftheFacultiesofSoul 534
13 TheSortofBodyRequisitetoSupporttheOrder
oftheFacultiesofSoul 546
Bibliography 555
Index 563