ANCIENT PHILOSOPHY 18: ARISTOTELIAN INTERLUDE
Aristotelianism of the Imperial Period
- 86BC major works brought to Rome
- Plotinus firs to really know his work, Neo-Platonism begins around Aristotelian engagement
Boethus of Sidon
- nominalist
- saw the categories as core
- priority to individuals, not universals
- Form is only a property or quality
Alexander of Aphrodisias:
- essentialism, realism
- problem of universals: essence exists, un-universally, but can be predicated in a universal manner
- De Anima: soul-body are dependent on each other
- the soul makes the body individual
- universal graspable by the mind separating Form from Matter
- potential intellect, material intellect and active intellect
- intellect in act is connected to the unmoved mover, pure form and actuality
- Aristotelian Providence:
- Heavenly motions guarantee the continuity of sublunar species, thus providence
- Stoics: this is the Epicurean indifferent Gods all over again
- basically an elaborated theory of free will, since only species, but not individuals, are determined