Matter in Aristotle's Philosophy and Science - Detailseite

The Greek word translated “matter” (hulē) originally meant trees, wood, or lumber. Aristotle is the first Greek philosopher to develop the notion of matter and put it at the center of his understanding of the natural world. What is this notion and how different is it from our own notion? In this seminar, we will consider how and why Aristotle places matter at the theoretical foundation of natural science as well as how he uses it in his scientific works. Aristotle is the first systematic biologist; more than 400 pages of his biological treatises exist. In addition to considering how he describes matter in his theoretical works, we will consider examples of how he uses matter in his biological and non-biological scientific treatises.