Parva naturalia

by Aristóteles

Bajo el título genérico de Parva naturalia la tradición ha agrupado un conjunto de pequeños tratados de Aristóteles (348-322 a.C.) en los cuales se exponen algunas cuestiones relativas a la psicología y a la biología humana y animal. La sola relación de sus títulos es ilustrativa de su contenido «De la sensación y de los sensibles», «De la memoria y la reminiscencia», «Del sueño y de la vigilia», «De los sueños», «De la adivinación durante el dormir» y «De la longevidad y de la brevedad de la vida». A ellos se añaden otros tres escritos que en parte de la tradición formaron un todo «De la juventud y de la vejez», «De la vida y de la muerte» y «De la respiración». Aristóteles estudia en estos tratados -traducidos por Jorge A. Serrano- los elementos que intervienen en el proceso cognoscitivo y analiza el papel de la memoria, así como las asociaciones de ideas que permiten el recuerdo o la reminiscencia. De evidente interés, aunque de menor importancia, son los opúsculos que tratan sobre el mundo de los sueños, la visión onírica, la oniromancia, etc.

Genres: Philosophy, Nonfiction

184 pages, Paperback

Published April 30, 1993

About the author

Alternate spelling for Aristotle

Reviews

[Erick · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although the treatises on Sleep intrigued me prior to reading this, I really read this collection more for the sake of thoroughness than anything else. I have to say that it is probably the least interesting of the Aristotelian collections--and given Aristotle's pedantic tendencies, that's really saying something. I skipped the treatise on Memory and Reminiscence here because I had already read it previously in a book coupled with his De Anima.

I am not going to grade the book on it's obsolete knowledge; that would be anachronistically unfair; given the march of 2300+ years, one has to accept that science (then called natural or physical philosophy) was in it's infancy at that time. It is interesting though that some of the philosophers that Aristotle maligns were actually closer to the truth than he was. It does indicate that someone's logic can seem totally valid and still be totally wrong.

If one keeps in mind Aristotle's general approach to nature and philosophical physics, one can anticipate most of the basic arguments of this book without reading it. The four elements (i.e. earth, water, air, fire) and how they influence environment and bodies (e.g. in moistness/dryness and heat/cold) figure into most of Aristotle's positions. Temperature seems to be the main deciding factor for life according to Aristotle. If an animal is too hot it dies from exhaustion, if too cold, from depletion.

I was disappointed with the treatises on Sleep. I thought at least the one on Divination In Dreams would be somewhat novel and metaphysical, but it wasn't. I shouldn't have been surprised given Aristotle's very mundane explanations for all phenomena.

I give this book probably about two-and-a-half to three stars. Honestly, one can easily skip this collection if one wants to concentrate on Aristotle's essential philosophy. There's not much here that isn't discussed in other works--and probably in more interesting ways in those. The treatise On Memory and Reminiscence is probably the best of what is here and that can be obtained in a book coupled with his De Anima and that is the one I would recommend rather than this.

[Ida Aasebøstøl · Rating 3 out of 5]

So close to right, so obstinately wrong.
The things this man must have done to tortoises.
Entertaining.

[Illiterate · Rating 2 out of 5]

Psychology in the shadow of De Anima. I’ll probably skip Aristotle’s other scientific treatises.

[Santiago González · Rating 3 out of 5]

Un opúsculo biológico a Acerca del alma. Aunque no siempre acierta da buenos argumentos

[Reinhard Gobrecht · Rating 5 out of 5]

Die Gedanken des Aristoteles sind gravierend und auch heute noch hoch aktuell. Von einigen materiellen Details muss man allerdings absehen, da die Naturwissenschaften sich natürlich in hohem Maße (vor allem auch technisch) weiterentwickelt haben. Die philosophischen Gedanken sind jedoch gravierend und aktuell. Man findet im Buch wertvolle Gedanken und kausale Zusammenhänge was die Wahrnehmung betrifft. Ferner philosophische Gedanken zu Gedächtnis und Erinnerung, Schlafen und Wachen, Traum und Traumdeutung, Jugend und Alter, Leben und Tod. Beeindruckend werden z. B. kausale Zusammenhänge zum Schlafen und Wachen beschrieben und woher und warum Träume entstehen können.

[Alanus · Rating 3 out of 5]

Conceptually, this was an interesting read. Aristotle was certainly onto something when he distinguished between memory and recall, as well as how dreams related to the daily life of the person in waking hours. Ultimately everything tied back to the theme of sensory perception and the internal and external movements of the body.
I expected the dreams section to be more interesting and contain more concrete examples than it did. It would have made the section stronger and more fascinating.
Overall, an eye opening book on how a 2,300 year old thinker theorized the mental phenomena of memory, reminiscence, and dreams.

[Malik Purvis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow he was interestingly wrong.