Aristotle's Ever-Turning World in Physics 8: Analysis and Commentary

435 Pages·2016·1.95 MB·English

by  Dougal Blyth

Copyright © 2015. Brill. All rights reserved. May not be reproduced in any form without permission from the publisher, except fair uses permitted under U.S. or applicable copyright law.
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Aristotle’sEver-turningWorldinPhysics8:AnalysisandCommentary
Philosophia Antiqua
a series of studies on ancient philosophy
EditorialBoard
Ch.Wildberg(Princeton)
K.A.Algra(Utrecht)
F.A.J.deHaas(Leiden)
J.Mansfeld(Utrecht)
C.J.Rowe(Durham)
D.T.Runia(Melbourne)
PreviousEditors
J.H.Waszink†
W.J.Verdenius†
J.C.M.VanWinden†
volume141
Thetitlespublishedinthisseriesarelistedatbrill.com/pha
Aristotle’s Ever-turning
World in Physics 8:
Analysis and Commentary
By
DougalBlyth
leiden | boston
LibraryofCongressCataloging-in-PublicationData
Blyth,Dougal.
Aristotle'sever-turningworldinPhysics8:analysisandcommentary/byDougalBlyth.
pagescm.–(Philosophiaantiqua,ISSN0079-1687;141)
Includesbibliographicalreferencesandindex.
ISBN978-90-04-30237-2(hardback:alk.paper)–ISBN978-90-04-30238-9(e-book)
1.Aristotle.Physics.Book8.2.Science,Ancient.3.Physics–Earlyworksto1800.4.Motion–Earlyworksto
1800.I.Title.
Q151.A73B592015
530–dc23
2015027430
Thispublicationhasbeentypesetinthemultilingual“Brill”typeface.Withover5,100characterscovering
Latin,ipa,Greek,andCyrillic,thistypefaceisespeciallysuitableforuseinthehumanities.Formore
information,pleaseseewww.brill.com/brill-typeface.
issn0079-1687
isbn978-90-04-30237-2(hardback)
isbn978-90-04-30238-9(e-book)
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∵

Contents
Acknowledgements ix
GeneralIntroduction 1
ThePurposesandApproachofThisVolume 1
TheAimandAchievementofPhysicsBk8 4
ModernPhilosophicalInterestinPhysicsBk8 9
TerminologyandSymbolismintheAnalyses 15
1 TheEverlastingnessofMovement 17
2 DefenceagainstThreeObjections 43
3 RedefinedInquiryintoMovementandRest 52
4 TheUniversalityofaCauseofMovement 75
5 UnmovedFirstCausesofMovement 104
6 TheEverlastingCausesofMovement 160
7 ThePriorityofLocomotion 199
8 TheUniqueContinuityofRotation 226
9 ThePriorityofRotation 284
10 TheFirstMoverandFirstMovedBodyAgain 304
Physics8:CompleteTranslation 356
AnalyticSubdivisionofChapters 392
Bibliography 397
SubjectIndex 403
IndexofProperNames 408
IndexLocorum 411
IndexofGreekTerms 423

Acknowledgements
This book could not have been completed without the long-term self-sacri-
ficingloveandpracticalsupportofmywifeSuella,inthemidstofmanyother
importantresponsibilitiesandconcernsofherown.Nowordsoractionscould
everbeenoughtoconveyfullymygratitudetoher.Iamalsomostgratefulto
therestofmyfamily,myfriends(nearandfar),colleaguesandstudents(former
andpresent)fortheirencouragementandforbearanceoverthemanyyearsof
thisproject.
ThanksarealsoduetoconvenorsofresearchseminarsinClassicsandAn-
cientHistoryattheUniversityofAuckland,whoduringthistimehaveallowed
meseveralopportunitiestodiscussavarietyoftextsandtopicsfromAristo-
tle’s Physics,particularlyBk8,andalsotocolleaguesandstudentsattending,
fortheirenliveningandusefulquestionsandcomments;andsimilarlytocol-
leaguesinPhilosophyforaninvitationseveralyearsagotodiscusssomerelated
methodologicalissuesataworkshopheldtocoincidewithavisittotheUniver-
sityofAucklandbyGeoffreyLloyd.Ialsoacknowledgegratefullytheprovision
ofseveralperiodsofresearchleavebytheUniversityofAucklandduringwhich
majorpartsofthisworkweredone.
This is not the place for a wider recognition of relevant intellectual influ-
ences and debts, particularly since none of the most potent is still among
theliving.IdowanttothankDoryScaltsasforproposingtheancestorofthis
project,andIamonlysorryitcouldnotseethelightintheforminwhichhe
envisagedit.IamalsogratefultotheeditorialcommitteeatBrillfortheirpos-
itiveresponsetothedraftofthisbook,andforthehelpfulsuggestionsoftheir
reader,andtomyrecentstudentAidanNathanforindexingit.