Quaestiones 1.1-2.15 (Ancient Commentators on Aristotle)
by Alexander (of Aphrodisias.)
Category: Philosophy

Most of the minor texts attributed to Alexander of Aphrodisias were organized into collections in antiquity. Three books of the collected works, which are characterized as "school-discussion problems and solutions on nature," are commonly cited as Alexander's Quaestiones. The first book of the Quaestiones and the first half of the second book, here translated, are concerned with physics, metaphysics, psychology, and divine providence. Inspired by discussions of Aristotle's works among Alexander and associates of his, the Quaestiones illuminate the functioning of a philosophical school in the early third century A.D. In their emphasis on resolving apparent anomalies and contradictions, they exemplify the process by which Aristotle's thought came to be regarded as "Aristotelianism," and they reveal the influence of the doctrines of Hellenistic philosophy. The translation of some of these first into Arabic and then into Latin played and important role in the transmission of ancient Greek philosophy to the medieval world. Of more than historical interest, Alexander's Quaestiones cast light on Aristotle's views on such issues as the problem of universals and the relation between form and matter. The Quaestiones have received increasing attention in recent years; this volume, along with its projected sequel, will make all of the text available for the first time in modern language. Students and scholars in the fields of ancient philosophy, classics, and medieval studies will warmly welcome it.