Space, Time, Matter, and Form: Essays on Aristotle's Physics

by David Bostock

Space, Time, Matter, and Form collects ten of David Bostock's essays on themes from Aristotle's Physics , four of them published here for the first time. The first five papers look at issues raised in the first two books of the Physics , centered on notions of matter and form; the latter five examine themes in the remaining books, including infinity, place, time, and continuity. Bostock's many insights will be welcomed by all scholars of ancient philosophy.

Genres: Philosophy, Science, Canon

204 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2006

Reviews

[Ian · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a really good read. The author writes with a more general audience in mind. More importantly and impressively he takes the time to work through different works on nature by Aristotle to try and make sense of the inconsistencies, and when he has to stretch this he is very explicit about his thoughts and what he is doing. The author has a sensitive pen stroke that was both critical of Aristotle and yet respectfully tried to give him the benefit of the doubt. To give you an idea of what I mean:"It must be admitted that in order to reach this verdict I have had to rely on there being a close connection between the notion of substance and the notion of identity over time. Nowadays we see this connection as all important; it is our only way of understanding what an Aristotelian substance is. But I do not believe that Aristotle himself ever thought in these terms." (p.28)

[reoccurrence · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this right after I finished Aristotle’s Physics! This book was helpful in clarifying most of the topics discussed in Physics. It was a surprisingly easy read and I found it incredibly helpful.