Christian Pfeiffer explores an important, but neglected topic in
Aristotle's theoretical philosophy: the theory of bodies. A body is a
three-dimensionally extended and continuous magnitude bounded by
surfaces. This notion is distinct from the notion of a perceptible or
physical substance. Substances have bodies, that is to say, they are
extended, their parts are continuous with each other and they have
boundaries, which demarcate them from their surroundings. Pfeiffer
argues that body, thus understood, has a pivotal role in Aristotle's
natural philosophy. A theory of body is a presupposed in, e.g.,
Aristotle's account of the infinite, place, or action and passion,
because their being bodies explains why things have a location or how
they can act upon each other. The notion of body can be ranked among
the central concepts for natural science which are discussed in
Physics III-IV. The book is the first comprehensive and rigorous
account of the features substances have in virtue of being bodies. It
provides an analysis of the concept of three-dimensional magnitude and
related notions like boundary, extension, contact, continuity, often
comparing it to modern conceptions of it. Both the structural features
and the ontological status of body is discussed. This makes it
significant for scholars working on contemporary metaphysics and
mereology because the concept of a material object is intimately tied
to its spatial or topological properties.
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Produktdetaljer
ISBN
9780191085307
Publisert
2020
Utgiver
Vendor
OUP Oxford
Språk
Product language
Engelsk
Format
Product format
Digital bok
Forfatter