by Aristotle
Part of Teokset, book 6
First published 1999
Aristotle tackles the biggest questions in philosophy by rejecting two dominant schools of thought. He dismisses Plato's claim that our perceptions show only shadows of true reality. He also rejects the materialist position that reduces all processes to physical matter. Instead, Aristotle argues that reality exists in the concrete forms of actual things around us. He explores what it means for something to exist, how change happens in the world, and whether certain things must exist as prerequisites for everything else. His investigation centers on the concept of substance and related ideas including matter and form, essence and accident, and potentiality and actuality. These concepts shaped Western philosophical thinking for centuries. Hugh Lawson-Tancred provides a clear translation along with an introduction that illuminates the central themes of this foundational work.
Genres: philosophy, non-fiction, ancient, academic
Vibes: thought-provoking
Tropes: academic
Setting: Greece
Period: Ancient
528 pages · Paperback · Penguin Classics