John Philoponus' new definition of prime matter : aspects of its background in Neoplatonism and the ancient commentary tradition /
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This study provides the first full discussion of Philoponus' excursus on matter in contra Proclum XI. 1-8 which sets out the innovative definition of prime matter as three-dimensional extension. The author argues that Philoponus' definition was motivated primarily by philosophical problems in Neoplatonism. Philoponus employs the explanation of growth, the interpretation of Aristotle's category theory and the notions of formlessness and potentiality to substantiate his definition. To conclude, the book offers an assessment of the significance of Philoponus' innovation. It is demonstrated for the first time that Plotinus' view of matter exerted considerable influence on both Philoponus and Simplicius. Moreover, the structure of Syrianus' and Proclus' metaphysics prepared the way for Philoponus' account of prime matter.
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Revision of the author's thesis (doctoral)--1995 under title: Philoponus' notion of prime matter. :
1 online resource (xxiii, 339 pages) : illustrations. :
Includes bibliographical references (p. 297-316) and indexes. :
9789004320932 :
0079-1687 ; :
Available to subscribing member institutions only.
Gloses et commentaire du livre XI du Contra Proclum de Jean Philopon autour de la matière première du monde
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The problem of the Materia Prima is certainly one of the most important challenges of late antique Physics. It is interesting to note that such a difficulty has never been focused on an exhaustive treatise in Antiquity. If the question of the matter resists any investigation, it is because the matter is radically 'aneideos' (without form) even though it is the condition 'sine qua non' of the existence of all forms in the sensible world. The present study proposes the first translation in French of the entire eleventh Book of the Philoponus' Contra Proclum (VIe s.) which precisely discusses the status of the Prime Matter. After having clarified the context of such a question in the Neoplatonic Alexandrian School, it puts forward a detailled step-to-step analysis of the Philoponian argument, the notions used by him and a new general theory which attempts to evaluate the pertinence and the internal coherence of his contribution to this very problematic question. Le problème de la Materia Prima est sans aucun doute l'une des questions les plus redoutables de la physique tardo-antique. Du moins s'il faut en croire la difficulté à en circonscrire la théorie dans un traité qui put faire école. Si la matière, en effet, résiste à toute investigation rationnelle c'est qu'elle est foncièrement sans forme bien qu'elle soit la condition sine qua non d'existence de toutes les formes du monde sensible. La présente étude propose la première traduction en Français du Livre XI du Contra Proclum de Jean Philopon (VIe s.). Elle commence par recontextualiser le propos de Philopon en l'inscrivant dans la tradition de la 'Quaestio disputata' de l'Ecole néoplatonicienne d'Alexandrie. Chaque sous-chapitre traduit et exhaustivement annoté est suivi d'une analyse détaillée de l'argument philoponien et des notions mobilisées, ainsi que d'une théorie générale qui essayera à chaque fois d'évaluer la cohérence et la pertinence du propos du grammairien alexandrin.
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1 online resource. :
Includes bibliographical references (p. [219]-226) and indexes. :
9789004210080 :
Available to subscribing member institutions only.