Metaphysics

by Theophrastus, William David Ross (Translator), F.H. Fobes (Translator)

This book has been written from the conviction that general statements about the philosophical position taken by Theophrastus in this small, but extremely difficult, treatise can only be made on the basis of a detailed interpretation of each and every sentence of the text. This has resulted in a full commentary, which evades no philological or philosophical question that should be asked in order to elicit from the text a maximum of information. The outcome is a cautious but nonetheless explicit and determinate characterization and evaluation of Theophrastean metaphysics as a biologists's metaphysics, which deserves the attention of philosophers in its own right. The author has paid special attention to questions of Peripatetic idiom and terminology, thus increasing the value of this book to students of Peripatetic thought in general. The information brought together has been made easily accessible by full indexes.

Genres: Philosophy

128 pages, Hardcover

First published June 1, 1979

About the author

Theophrastus (Greek: Θεόφραστος; c. 371 – c. 287 BC), a Greek native of Eresos in Lesbos, was the successor to Aristotle in the Peripatetic school. He came to Athens at a young age and initially studied in Plato's school. After Plato's death, he attached himself to Aristotle. Aristotle bequeathed to Theophrastus his writings and designated him as his successor at the Lyceum. Theophrastus presided over the Peripatetic school for thirty-six years, during which time the school flourished greatly. He is often considered the "father of botany" for his works on plants. After his death, the Athenians honoured him with a public funeral. His successor as head of the school was Strato of Lampsacus.

The interests of Theophrastus were wide ranging, extending from biology and physics to ethics and metaphysics. His two surviving botanical works, Enquiry into Plants[2] and On the Causes of Plants, were an important influence on medieval science. There are also surviving works On Moral Characters, On Sensation, On Stones, and fragments on Physics and Metaphysics. In philosophy, he studied grammar and language and continued Aristotle's work on logic. He also regarded space as the mere arrangement and position of bodies, time as an accident of motion, and motion as a necessary consequence of all activity. In ethics, he regarded happiness as depending on external influences as well as on virtue and famously said that "life is ruled by fortune, not wisdom."

Reviews

[Erick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Theophrastus took over the leadership of the Peripatetic school after Aristotle. This work seems to have been an introduction to a larger work, or set of works, in the genre of physics/metaphysics. It mostly consists of him ruminating on questions regarding first principles.
It is interesting that Theophrastus was not above questioning some of his master's views. He finds problems in both Plato's and Aristotle's systems when it comes to motion/movement (kinesis). With Aristotle he sees it as inconsistent that a first mover could set into motion bodies with disparate forms of motion, e.g. planets move differently. With Plato he finds it problematic that the forms could be both at rest and in motion apart from sensible reality.
Quite an interesting little work. I do intend to read some more of Theophrastus in the not too distant future. Many of his works are fragmentary, but he was an important figure in the tradition of Aristotelianism.

[Gökçe · Rating 4 out of 5]

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