Simplicius: On Aristotle On the Heavens

Commenting on the end of Aristotle's On the Heavens Book 3, Simplicius examines Aristotle's criticisms of Plato's theory of elemental chemistry in the Timaeus. Plato makes the characteristics of the four elements depend on the shapes of component corpuscles and ultimately on the arrangement of the triangles which compose them. Simplicius preserves and criticizes the contributions made to the debate in lost works by two other major commentators, Alexander the Aristotelian, and Proclus the Platonist.

In Book 4, Simplicius identifies fifteen objections by Aristotle to Plato's views on weight in the four elements. He finishes Book 4 by elaborating Aristotle's criticisms of Democritus' theory of weight in the atoms, including Democritus' suggestions about the influence of atomic shape on certain atomic motions.

This volume includes an English translation of Simplicius' commentary, a detailed introduction, extensive commentary notes and a bibliography.

Ian Mueller is Emeritus Professor of Philosophy, University of Chicago. He has also translated three volumes of Simplicius: On Aristotle On the Heavens 2.1-9; 2.10-14 and 3.1-7 for the series.

Acknowledgements
Abbreviations
Introduction
Translation
3.7 305b28-end. Criticism of Plato’s geometrical chemistry
3.8 Criticism of Plato’s geometrical chemistry continued
4.1 Absolute and relative heaviness and lightness; criticism of Plato’s claim that there is no above and below in the universe
4.2 Criticism of previous accounts of heaviness and lightness
4.3 Heaviness and lightness; natural motion as the attaining of form
4.4 The existence of places between above and below and of
elements, water and air, to occupy them
4.5 The four elements differ in their matter
4.6 The effect of shape and size on the motion of bodies
Appendix 1. On the geometric arguments of 652,9-655,27
Appendix 2. On some later discussions of 306b5-8
Textual Questions
(a) Departures from Heiberg’s text
(b) Simplicius’ citations of On the Heaven 3.1-7, 305b28
(c) Simplicius’ citations of other texts
(d) Lemmas
Notes
Bibliography
English-Greek Glossary
Greek-English Index
Index of Passages
Index of Names
Subject Index
Addenda

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Simplicius: On Aristotle On the Heavens 3.7-4.6

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