Aristotle's Topics is about dialectic, which can be understood as a debate between two people or the inner debate of one thinker with himself. Its purposes range from philosophical training to discovering the first principles of thought. Its arguments concern the four predicables (definition, property, genus and accident). Aristotle explains how these four fit into his ten categories, and in Book 1 begins to outline strategies for debate, such as the definition of ambiguity. Alexander's commentary on Book 1 discusses how to define Aristotelian syllogistic argument, why it stands up against the rival Stoic theory of interference, and what is the character of inductive interference and of rhetorical argument. He distinguishes inseparable accidents such as the whiteness of snow from defining differentiae such as its being frozen, and considers how these fit into the scheme of categories. He speaks of dialectic as a stochastic discipline in which success is to be judged not by victory but by skill in argument, a view parallel to that sometimes taken in antiquity of medical practice. And he investigates the subject of ambiguity which had also been richly developed since Aristotle by the rival Stoic school.

Alexander of Aphrodisias: On Aristotle Topics 1 (Ancient Commentators on Aristotle)

History

Ophuijsen, Johannes M.Van

Ancient Civilizations

Bristol Classical Press

Heraclides of Pontus: Text and Translation (Rutgers University Studies in Classical Humanities)

Heraclides of Pontus hailed from the shores of the Black Sea. He studied with Aristotle in Plato's Academy, and became a respected member of that school. During Plato's third trip to Sicily, Heraclides served as head of the Academy and was almost elected its head on the death of Speusippus. His interests were diverse. He wrote on the movements of the planets and the basic matter of the universe. He adopted a materialistic theory of soul, which he considered immortal and subject to reincarnation. He discussed pleasure, and like Aristotle, he commented on the Homeric poems. In addition, he concerned himself with religion, music, and medical issues. None of Heraclides' works have survived intact, but in antiquity his dialogues were much admired and often pillaged for sententiae and the like.
The volume contains a new edition of the sources for Heraclides' life and thought. The text is by Eckart Schutrumpf and the translation by Peter Stork, Jan van Ophuijsen, and Susan Prince. The discussion of the sources includes contributions by twelve scholars: "La Tradizione Papirologica di Eraclide Pontico" by Tiziano Dorandi; "Heraclides' Intellectual Context" by Jorgen Mejer; "Heraclides of Pontus and the Philosophical Dialogue" by Matthew Fox; "Heraclides on Pleasure" by Eckart Schutrumpf; "Heraclides on the Soul and Its Ancient Readers" by Inna Kupreeva; "Unjointed Masses: A Note on Heraclides Physical Theory" by Robert W. Sharples; "Heliocentrism in or out of Heraclides" by Paul T. Keyser; "The Reception of Heraclides' Theory of the Rotation of the Earth from Posidonius to Simplicius: Texts, Contexts and Continuities" by Robert B. Todd and Alan C. Bowen; "Heraclides of Pontus on the Motions of Venus and Mercury by Alan C. Bowen and Robert B. Todd; "The Woman Not Breathing" by Philip van der Eijk; "Heraclides of Pontus on Homer" by Malcolm Heath; and "Heraclides and Musical History" by Andrew Barker.

Politics & Social Sciences

Prince, Susan

Schütrumpf, Eckart

Philosophy

Routledge

Heraclides of Pontus hailed from the shores of the Black Sea. He studied with Aristotle in Plato's Academy, and became a respected member of that school. During Plato's third trip to Sicily, Heraclides served as head of the Academy and was almost elected its head on the death of Speusippus. His interests were diverse. He wrote on the movements of the planets and the basic matter of the universe. He adopted a materialistic theory of soul, which he considered immortal and subject to reincarnation. He discussed pleasure, and like Aristotle, he commented on the Homeric poems. In addition, he concerned himself with religion, music, and medical issues. None of Heraclides' works have survived intact, but in antiquity his dialogues were much admired and often pillaged for sententiae and the like. The volume contains a new edition of the sources for Heraclides' life and thought. The text is by Eckart Schütrumpf and the translation by Peter Stork, Jan van Ophuijsen, and Susan Prince. The discussion of the sources includes contributions by twelve scholars: "La Tradizione Papirologica di Eraclide Pontico" by Tiziano Dorandi; "Heraclides' Intellectual Context" by Jørgen Mejer; "Heraclides of Pontus and the Philosophical Dialogue" by Matthew Fox; "Heraclides on Pleasure" by Eckart Schütrumpf; "Heraclides on the Soul and Its Ancient Readers" by Inna Kupreeva; "Unjointed Masses: A Note on Heraclides Physical Theory" by Robert W. Sharples; "Heliocentrism in or out of Heraclides" by Paul T. Keyser; "The Reception of Heraclides' Theory of the Rotation of the Earth from Posidonius to Simplicius: Texts, Contexts and Continuities" by Robert B. Todd and Alan C. Bowen; "Heraclides of Pontus on the Motions of Venus and Mercury by Alan C. Bowen and Robert B. Todd; "The Woman Not Breathing" by Philip van der Eijk; "Heraclides of Pontus on Homer" by Malcolm Heath; and "Heraclides and Musical History" by Andrew Barker.

Literature & Fiction

History & Criticism

Aristotle's Topics is about dialectic, which can be understood as a debate between two people or the inner debate of one thinker with himself. Its purposes range from philosophical training to discovering the first principles of thought. Its arguments concern the four predicables (definition, property, genus and accident). Aristotle explains how these four fit into his ten categories, and in Book 1 begins to outline strategies for debate, such as the definition of ambiguity. Alexander's commentary on Book 1 discusses how to define Aristotelian syllogistic argument, why it stands up against the rival Stoic theory of interference, and what is the character of inductive interference and of rhetorical argument. He distinguishes inseparable accidents such as the whiteness of snow from defining differentiae such as its being frozen, and considers how these fit into the scheme of categories. He speaks of dialectic as a stochastic discipline in which success is to be judged not by victory but by skill in argument, a view parallel to that sometimes taken in antiquity of medical practice. And he investigates the subject of ambiguity which had also been richly developed since Aristotle by the rival Stoic school.

Bloomsbury Academic

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