Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®
Articles 1 - 2 of 2
Full-Text Articles in Arts and Humanities
The Role Of Optimality In Aristotle's Natural Science, Devin Henry
The Role Of Optimality In Aristotle's Natural Science, Devin Henry
Devin Henry
In this paper I examine the role of optimality reasoning in Aristotle’s natural science. By “optimality reasoning” I mean reasoning that appeals to some conception of “what is best” in order to explain why things are the way they are. We are first introduced to this pattern of reasoning in the famous passage at Phaedo 97b8-98a2, where (Plato’s) Socrates invokes “what is best” as a cause (aitia) of things in nature. This passage can be seen as the intellectual ancestor of Aristotle’s own principle, expressed by the famous dictum “nature does nothing in vain but always what is best for …
A Sharp Eye For Kinds: Collection & Division In Plato's Late Dialogues, Devin Henry
A Sharp Eye For Kinds: Collection & Division In Plato's Late Dialogues, Devin Henry
Devin Henry
No abstract provided.