Simplicius: On Aristotle Physics 1-8: General Introduction to the 12 Volumes of Translations

This volume provides an introduction to the commentary on Aristotle's Physics by Simplicius, covering his philosophical aims, methods, and comparison with Philoponus. It treats the Physics as a universal study of natural principles, responding to Alexander of Aphrodisias' Peripatetic commentaries and proposing solutions in harmony with Plato and earlier thinkers.

Format: Hardback
Length: 176 pages
Publication date: 05 May 2022
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC

This volume, which supports the twelve volumes of translation of Simplicius' great commentary on Aristotle's Physics, all published by Bloomsbury in the Ancient Commentators on Aristotle series, between 1992 and 2021, presents a comprehensive introduction to the commentary. It delves into the philosophical objectives of Simplicius' commentaries on the Physics and the related text On the Heaven, Simplicius' methods and his utilization of earlier sources, and prominent themes and comparisons with Philoponus' commentary on the same text. Simplicius treats the Physics as a universal study of the principles underlying the account of the cosmos in On the Heaven. In both treatises, he responds at every stage to the now lost Peripatetic commentaries of Alexander of Aphrodisias, which position Aristotle in opposition to Plato and earlier thinkers such as Parmenides, Empedocles, and Anaxagoras. On each passage, Simplicius, after going through Alexander's commentary, raises difficulties for the text of Aristotle as interpreted by Alexander. Then, after making observations about the details of the text and often returning to a direct reading of the older philosophers (for whom he is now often our primary source, as he is for Alexander's commentary), he proposes his solution to the difficulties, introduced with a modest perhaps, which reads Aristotle as in harmony with Plato and earlier thinkers.

Dimension: 234 x 156 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781350286627