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- Publisher
- Brill
- Copyright
- Copyright 2012 by Koninklijke Brill NV, Leiden, The Netherlands.
- ISSN
- 1059-986X
- eISSN
- 2213-4417
- DOI
- 10.1163/22134417-90000134
- Publisher site
- See Article on Publisher Site
Abstract
An appreciation of the `more philosophical' aspects of ancient medical writings casts considerable light on Aristotle's concept of nature, and how he understands nature to differ from art, on the one hand, and spontaneity or luck, on the other. The account of nature and its comparison with art and spontaneity in Physics II is developed with continual reference to the medical art. The notion of spontaneous remission of disease (without the aid of the medical art) was a controversial subject in the medical literature, and Aristotle's aporia about the notion of spontaneous generation of natural things runs parallel to this controversy. Aristotle's account of spontaneous generation in the Metaphysics and in the Generation of Animals can also be profitably illuminated by looking at the comparison with medicine in detail. The aim is a clearer and more consistent picture not only of Aristotle's concepts of nature, art, and spontaneity, but also of the influence of medical writings and concepts on his natural philosophy. Commentators since antiquity have emphasized two groups of predecessors in the background of Aristotle's discussion in Physics II: the materialists, e.g., Empedocles and Democritus, who are accused of chalking up the causes of all natural things
Journal
Proceedings of the Boston Area Colloquium in Ancient Philosophy Online – Brill
Published: Jan 1, 2012