Aristotle: The Desire to UnderstandThis is a 1988 philosophical introduction to Aristotle, and Professor Lear starts where Aristotle himself starts. The first sentence of the Metaphysics states that all human beings by their nature desire to know. But what is it for us to be animated by this desire in this world? What is it for a creature to have a nature; what is our human nature; what must the world be like to be intelligible; and what must we be like to understand it systematically? Through a consideration of these questions Professor Lear introduces us to the essence of Aristotle's philosophy and guides us through the central Aristotelian texts - selected from the Physics, Metaphysics, Ethics, Politics and from the biological and logical works. The book is written in a direct, lucid style which engages the reader with the themes in an active, participatory manner. |
Common terms and phrases
actively contemplating actuality allthe andthe animal aretē Aristotelian Aristotle says Aristotle thinks Aristotle’s argument Aristotle’s philosophy Aristotle’s world asthe awareness basic believe biped canbe cause conception considered definition deliberation divine doesnot embodied essence example existence forAristotle frog fromthe geometrical God’s Heraclitus human incontinence indivisible infinite infinitely divisible inquiry instant intelligible inthe inwhich isan isnot isthat isthe itis knowledge living logos man’s manifestation mathematical matter Metaphysics mind moving mustbe nature Nicomachean Ethics object occur ofAnimals ofthe oftime one’s ontologically organism Oxford translation Parmenides particular perceiver perceptible perspective philosophical philosophy of mathematics physical Plato political possible Posterior Analytics potentiality predication premisses primary substance principle of noncontradiction principleof Prior Analytics prohairesis properties rational reality realize reason selfconscious selfunderstanding sense faculty sensible form Socrates soul speciesform structure syllogism teleological thatis thatone thatthe theform theprinciple thereis thesense theworld things thought tobe tothe triangle virtue virtuous wehave