Philoponus

In this part of the <i>Posterior Analytics</i> Aristotle elaborates his assessment of how universal truths of science can be scientifically explained as inevitable in demonstrative proofs. But he introduces complications: some sciences discuss phenomena that can only be explained by higher sciences and again sometimes we reason out a cause from an effect rather than an effect from a cause. Philoponus takes these issues further. Reasoning from particular to universal is the direction taken by induction and in mathematics reasoning from a theorem to the higher principles from which it follows is considered particularly valuable. It corresponds to the direction of analysis as opposed to synthesis.<br/><br/>This volume contains an English translation of Philoponus' commentary a detailed introduction extensive explanatory notes and a bibliography.