ProofWiki:Mathematicians/Aristotle
Aristotle (Greek: Ἀριστοτέλης, Aristotélēs) was a Greek philosopher, a student of Plato and teacher of Alexander the Great.
Phenomenally influential philosopher whose works (for better or for worse) shaped the entirety of the intellectual development of the Western world for over a millennium.
Most important from the point of view of mathematics for formulating the Principle of Non-Contradiction and the Law of the Excluded Middle.
Contents |
Nationality
Greek
History
- Born: 384 BCE, Stagirus, Macedonia, Greece
- Died: 322 BCE, Chalcis, Euboea, Greece
Theorems and Definitions
Writings
Only about a third of his writings survive. As can be expected, those that did have been extensively studied and catalogued. The entire collection is referred to as the Corpus Aristotelicum.
A standard way of referring to them is by Bekker number, named for August Immanuel Bekker, who published a definitive version of Aristotle's works between 1831 and 1870.
Complete works by Bekker numbers
The following list is complete. The titles are in accordance with the standard set by the 1984 Revised Oxford Translation (The Complete Works of Aristotle, edited by Jonathan Barnes, 2 vols).
Also given are the Latin titles. Disputed works are marked by *, and ** marks a work generally agreed to be spurious.
Logic (Organon)
- (1a) Categories (or Categoriae)
- (16a) De Interpretatione ("On Interpretation")
- (24a) Prior Analytics (or Analytica Priora)
- (71a) Posterior Analytics (or Analytica Posteriora)
- (100a) Topics (or Topica)
- (164a) Sophistical Refutation (or De Sophisticis Elenchis)
Physics (the study of nature)
- (184a) Physics (or Physica)
- (268a) On the Heavens (or De Caelo)
- (314a) On Generation and Corruption (or De Generatione et Corruptione)
- (338a) Meteorology (or Meteorologica)
- (391a) On the Universe** (or De Mundo)
- (402a) On the Soul (or De Anima)
- The 'Parva Naturalia ("Little Physical Treatises"):
- (436a) Sense and Sensibilia (or De Sensu et Sensibilibus)
- (449b) On Memory (or De Memoria et Reminiscentia)
- (453b) On Sleep (or De Somno et Vigilia)
- (458a) On Dreams (or De Insomniis)
- (462b) On Divination in Sleep (or De Divinatione per Somnum)
- (464b) On Length and Shortness of Life (or De Longitudine et Brevitate Vitae)
- (467b) On Youth, Old Age, Life and Death, and Respiration (or De Juventute et Senectute, De Vita et Morte, De Respiratione)
- (481a) On Breath** (or De Spiritu)
- (486a) History of Animals (or Historia Animalium)
- (639a) Parts of Animals (or De Partibus Animalium)
- (698a) Movement of Animals (or De Motu Animalium)
- (704a) Progression of Animals (or De Incessu Animalium)
- (715a) Generation of Animals (or De Generatione Animalium)
- (791a) On Colors** (or De Coloribus)
- (800a) On Things Heard** (or De audibilibus)
- (805a) Physiognomonics** (or Physiognomonica)
- (815a) On Plants** (or De Plantis)
- (830a) On Marvellous Things Heard** (or De mirabilibus auscultationibus)
- (847a) Mechanics** (or Mechanica)
- (859a) Problems* (or Problemata)
- (968a) On Indivisible Lines** (or De Lineis Insecabilibus)
- (973a) The Situations and Names of Winds** (or Ventorum Situs)
- (974a) On Melissus, Xenophanes, and Gorgias**
Metaphysics
- (980a) Metaphysics (or Metaphysica)
Ethics and Politics
- (1094a) Nicomachean Ethics (or Ethica Nicomachea)
- (1181a) Great Ethics* (Magna Moralia)
- (1214a) Eudemian Ethics (or Ethica Eudemia)
- (1249a) On Virtues and Vices** (or De Virtutibus et Vitiis Libellus)
- (1252a) Politics (or Politica)
- (1343a) Economics* (or Oeconomica)
Rhetoric and Poetics
- (1354a) Rhetoric (or Ars Rhetorica)
- (1420a) Rhetoric to Alexander** (or Rhetorica ad Alexandrum)
- (1447a) Poetics (or Ars Poetica)
How did the writings survive?
According to the Greek historian Strabo (63 BCE - 24 CE), the itinerary of Aristotle's writings was as follows:
- 322 BCE: After Aristotle died, all his writings passed into the hands of his pupil Theophrastus.
- c. 285 BCE: When Theophrastus died, his complete library (including the works of Aristotle) passed to Neleus of Skepsis in Asia Minor, where they were abandoned for 200 years. Their condition deteriorated.
- 1st century BCE: They were bought by of Teos Apellicon of Teos who had them copied. Some of the damaged sections were restored, often erroneously.
- 84 BCE: They were then seized as booty by Sulla who took them to Rome.
- 40 - 20 BCE: They were published by Andronicus of Rhodes.
See also
- Isaac Asimov: Understanding Physics (1966): $\text{I}$: Chapter $1$
- George F. Simmons: Calculus Gems (1992)
