Title

The Origin of Aristotle's Metaphysical Aporiae

Authors

Edward Halper, University of Georgia School of LawFollow

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

12-29-1985

Abstract

That the fifteen aporiae to whose exposition Aristotle devotes all of Metaphysics B originate from Platonism is widely accepted. However, the text provides no account of how Aristotle constructed these aporiae, and the exact path by which they developed remains shrouded by our lack of knowledge of Aristotle's contemporaries and of the discussions in Plato's Academy. Book B has been a focal point for various, conflicting accounts of Aristotle's development, for scholars assume that the aporiae presented here are problems that troubled Aristotle and remained unsolved when he wrote Metaphysics B. In this paper I shall present an alternative account of the origin of Aristotle's aporiae.

Notes

Edward Halper presented “The Origin of Aristotle’s Metaphysical Aporiai” to the meeting of the Society with the American Philological Association in Washington DC December 29, 1985. A revised version was published in Apeiron 21 (1988) 1-27 and reprinted in John P. Anton & Anthony Preus, eds. 1992. Essays in Ancient Greek Philosophy, Volume V: Aristotle’s Ontology. SUNY Press, 151-176.

For information about the author see http://www.phil.uga.edu/directory/edward-charles-halper

Recommended Citation

Halper, Edward, "The Origin of Aristotle's Metaphysical Aporiae" (1985). The Society for Ancient Greek Philosophy Newsletter. 143.
https://orb.binghamton.edu/sagp/143