The order of nature in Aristotle's physics : place and the elements
In this book Helen S. Lang enters into the point of view of the ancient world to explain how they saw the world and to show what arguments were used by Aristotle to support this view. Lang demonstrates a new method for reading the texts of Aristotle by revealing a continuous line of argument running from the Physics to De Caelo. The author analyzes a group of arguments that are almost always treated in isolation from one another and reveals their elegance and coherence. She concludes by asking why these arguments remain interesting even though we now believe they are absolutely wrong and have been replaced by better ones
Early works
xii, 324 pages ; 24 cm
9780521624534, 0521624533
38147822
Acknowledgements; Abbreviations; Part I. Place: 1. Aristotle's physics and the problem of nature; 2. Nature and motion; 3. Place; 4. Void; Part II. The Elements: 5. Inclination: an ability to be moved; 6. Inclination as heaviness and lightness; 7. Inclination: the natures and activities of the elements; Part III. Nature As a Cause of Order: 8. The order of nature in Aristotle's physics; Bibliography of works cited; Subject and name index; Index of Aristotelian texts.