Aristotle: Topics Book VI

This volume presents a new translation of Aristotle's Topics Book VI by Annamaria Schiaparelli, accompanied by a detailed commentary and textual notes providing insight into the history of the transmission of the text with its variants. In the Topics, Aristotle aims at developing his dialectical method. He introduces the four predicables (property, genus, accident, and definition) which are necessary for the classification and application of the topoi, or commonplaces. Book VI of the Topics is entirely devoted to the discussion of definition, the most extended and refined discussion of this subject handed down to us from the classical period. The concept of definition plays a central role not only in Aristotle's logic but also in his ontology. Issues connected with definitions emerge constantly throughout his works. Moreover, definitions are at the centre of Platonic philosophy and sparked a lively discussion in philosophy of the Hellenistic and late classical periods.

INTRODUCTION
I. The Place of the Topics in Aristotle's Corpus
II. The Contents of the Topics
III. The Four Predicables
IV. The Classifications of the Predicables
V. The Logical Relations among the Predicables
VI. The Predicable Definition
VII. Types of Definition and their Rules
VIII. The Notion of Causality in the Topics
IX. Some Prominent Themes concerning Standard Definitions
X. Structure and Interpretations of Book VI of the Topics
TRANSLATION
COMMENTARY
Notes on the Text
Appendix: The Predicables Logical Relations
Select Bibliography
Glossary: English-Greek / Greek-English
Indexes