Alexander of Aphrodisias

Around 200 AD the greatest defender and interpreter of Aristotle within his school Alexander of Aphrodisias composed his own book <i>On the Soul</i> partly following the pattern of Aristotle's.<br/>In the first half translated in this volume he discusses the soul as the form of the body and the idea of parts or powers that constitute the soul of living things including the two lowest powers: nutrition and perception. In the second half translated in Part II he discusses perception representation desire understanding and - a notion emphasised by the Stoics - the governing part of the soul. He takes the soul to consist of these powers which supervene on the mixture of the body's elemental ingredients just as inanimate powers like buoyancy or lightness can supervene on other qualities. They are new emergent causal powers of the living thing which do not belong to the constituent ingredients of the body in themselves.<br/>Through his notion of emergence he seeks to steer between the Platonic dualism of soul and body and the extreme materialism of his Stoic rivals.<br/><br/>This volume contains the first English translation of the work as well as a detailed introduction extensive explanatory notes and a bibliography.