PHIL 421, Section 001

Seminar in Philosophy: Aristotle's Metaphysics

Spring 2008

Readings

Hephaistos and Thetis

Another fine image from the Perseus collection! Seated at left is the artisan god Hephaestus. He is showing the goddess Thetis the marvelous armor (shield, helmet, and leg armor) that he has made for her son Achilles.  The shield in particular is literally marvelous; according to Homer (Iliad 478-608) the images with which Hephaestus has adorned the shield seem to move and make sounds. (This may not seem like a big deal now, but remember that Hephaestus doesn't have access to electricity - Zeus controls that.) Why, if the gods have arts, do they not have philosophy?
This page lists each week's assigned reading, plus supplementary recommended and suggested reading. Recommended readings are those I think will be very helpful; suggested and optional readings are those I think will be helpful or interesting, but not of as high a priority as the recommended ones. Toward the bottom of the page you will find some suggested readings that cover broader topics than we can cover in a single week.

Check through the whole page periodically. As I come across additional materials that might be of interest concerning each topic I will add them.

Some of the readings listed here are available online through databases to which the GMU Library subscribes. To access articles on the library's databases: Go to the GMU library page. Click "Databases" and then click on the first letter of your selected database ('J' for JSTOR, 'P' for Project Muse, etc.). If you are off-campus or if you are not using the GMU dialup service, you will have to enter your email address and password to access these journal databases.

For JSTOR: From the page of 'J' listings, click on JSTOR. Then click on "Search," and from the "Search" page, click on "Advanced Search." Enter the author's name and the journal title in the appropriate search boxes. For prolific authors, it may be helpful to enter the date or a bit of the article title as well. Alternate method: From the main JSTOR page, click on "Browse" and scroll down until you find the title of the journal you're looking for, then click on that title. This will bring you to a page listing all issues of the journal. (The journals you'll be looking for will generally be listed under 'Philosophy' or 'Classical Studies' or both.)

Book Numbers in the Metaphysics: Handy Conversion Chart
Book A (Alpha) = Book I *
 Book H (Eta) = Book VIII
Book α (Small Alpha) = Book II
Book Θ (Theta) = Book IX
Book B (Beta) = Book III
 Book I (Iota) = Book X *
Book Γ (Gamma) = Book IV
Book Κ (Kappa) = Book XI
Book Δ (Delta) = Book V
 Book Λ (Lambda) = Book XII
Book E (Epsilon) = Book VI
 Book M (Mu) = Book XIII
Book Z (Zeta) = Book VII
 Book N (Nu) = Book XIV 

* Note that 'Book I' can refer either to the first book (Alpha) or the tenth (Iota), since 'I' is a letter in both Greek and Roman alphabets (and a number in both Greek and Roman counting systems). So when you see a reference to 'Book I,' be careful to see which one is meant.

Reading due February 4

Metaphysics Books A, B, Δ
On-line notes on Metaphysics Book A, Chapters 1 and 2 
Politis, Aristotle and the Metaphysics, pages 1-12 and Chapter 2

due February 11

  • Required
Metaphysics Books B and Δ
  • Recommended
Politis Chapter 3
  • Optional
 1. E. Halper, "The Origin of Aristotle's Metaphysical Αποριαι," pages 151-175 in A. Preus and J. Anton, eds., Essays in Ancient Greek Philosophy V: Aristotle's Ontology (Albany: SUNY Press, 1992). The word Αποριαι is Greek for aporiai, puzzles/difficulties.
    This book is available as an e-book in the GMU Library. To access it, search the GMU Library catalog for the book, then click on the e-book link.

due February 18

  • Required
Metaphysics Book Γ
  • Recommended
Politis Chapters 4 and 5
  • Optional
1. M. Wedin, "Aristotle on the Firmness of the Principle of Non-Contradiction," Phronesis 49.3 (2004): 225-265. Available online through the Ingenta database. Ingenta seems to work best in Internet Explorer. (I don't expect everyone to know enough formal logic to follow Wedin's arguments, but those of you who have done some logic might find this article interesting.)

2. E. Berti, "Logical and Ontological Priority among the Genera of Substance in Aristotle," pages 55-69 in J. Mansfeld and L.M. de Rijk, eds.,  Kephalaion: Studies in Greek Philosophy and its Continuation offered to Professor C.J. De Vogel (Assen, The Netherlands: Van Gorcum, 1975). (This book is available in Fenwick Library.)

3. P. Thom, "The Principle of Non-Contradiction in Early Greek Philosophy," Apeiron 32 (1999): 153-170. Fun with metalogic! (Here too, I don't expect you to know enough formal logic to read this, but some of you do know enough formal logic for this, so this article is offered as optional.)
    This article is available through the Consortium Loan Service: from the Library homepage, click on "Library Catalogs," then "WRLC Libraries"; then do a search for Apeiron under Journal Title. Select a library that has this issue (GMU does not), and then click on "CLS request." Fill out the online form, and a PDF of the article will be sent to your library account. It's free of charge, takes a couple of days, and you can read the article, download the article to your own disk, or print it out.

4. W. Wians, "Saving Aristotle from Nussbaum's Phainomena," pages 133-149 in A. Preus and J. Anton, eds., Essays in Ancient Greek Philosophy V: Aristotle's Ontology (Albany: SUNY Press, 1992).
    This book is available as an e-book in the GMU Library. To access it, search the GMU Library catalog for the book, then click on the e-book link.

5. W. Wians, "The Philosopher's Knowledge of Non-Contradiction," Ancient Philosophy 26 (2006): 333-353. Excellent and highly readable account. Available in the Periodicals section of Fenwick Library.

due February 25

  • Required
Metaphysics Books Γ and E
  • Recommended
Politis Chapters 4 through 6
  • Optional
1. A. Code, "Aristotle's Investigation of a Basic Logical Principle...," Canadian Journal of Philosophy 16 (1986): 341-358.

2.  S. M. Cohen, "Aristotle on the Principle of Non-Contradiction," Canadian Journal of Philosophy 16 (1986): 359-370.

3. M. Furth, "A Note on Aristotle's Principle of Non-Contradiction," Canadian Journal of Philosophy 16 (1986):  371-382.

due March 3

  • Required
Metaphysics Books E and Z
  • Recommended

due March 17

  • Required
Metaphysics Book Z
  • Recommended
1. C. Byrne, "Prime Matter and Actuality," Journal of the History of Philosophy 33 (1995): 197-224. Available online via Project Muse and ProQuest Research Library. Highly recommended, and useful not only for Book Z: if you're having questions about substance and matter, this article offers an excellent discussion of several interpretations, and excellent arguments for its conclusions.

2. R. Dancy, "On Some of Aristotle's First Thoughts About Substances," The Philosophical Review 84 (1975): 338-373.

3. T. Scaltsas, "Substratum, Subject, and Substance," pages 177-209 in A. Preus and J. Anton, eds., Essays in Ancient Greek Philosophy V: Aristotle's Ontology (Albany: SUNY Press, 1992).
    This book is available as an e-book in the GMU Library. To access it, search the GMU Library catalog for the book, then click on the e-book link.

due March 24

  • Required
Metaphysics Books Z and H
  • Recommended

due March 31

  • Required
Metaphysics Book Θ
  • Recommended

due April 7

  • Required
Metaphysics Book Θ
  • Recommended

due April 14

  • Required
Metaphysics Book I (Iota)
  • Recommended

due April 21

  • Required
Metaphysics Book Λ
  • Recommended
1. E. Berti, "Logical and Ontological Priority among the Genera of Substance in Aristotle," pages 55-69 in J. Mansfeld and L.M. de Rijk, eds.,  Kephalaion: Studies in Greek Philosophy and its Continuation offered to Professor C.J. De Vogel (Assen, The Netherlands: Van Gorcum, 1975). (This book is available in Fenwick Library.)


due April 28

  • Required
Metaphysics Book M
  • Recommended

due May 5

  • Required
Metaphysics Book N
  • Recommended