Page - 16 - in The Priority of Locomotion in Aristotle’s Physics

the theory of nature which Aristotle had developed step by step in previous books; however, this view, as we shall see, is not unproblematic if we keep in mind how the book which we today call the Physics came down to us, and if we take a closer look at its content. At the same time it was pointed out that Book VIII has a special status among the eight books of this work, since introducing the theory of a first and eternal unmoved mover goes beyond what usually belongs to the scope of natural philosophy and in this sense was even taken to mark the transi- tion from philosophy of nature to metaphysics.4 Yet, the question exactly what role Book VIII plays in the Physics as it has come down to us, that is, its connection to the seven preceding books may not be easily answered and in fact has been the subject of scholarly debate since ancient times. One reason for this certainly lies in the fact that the arrangement of the eight books into one work which we today call the Physics was not, as scho- lars seem to agree, accomplished by Aristotle himself.5 As I will show in more detail later, it is for this reason that one first of all has to become clear on the question which of the different books in fact need to be considered as the closer context of Book VIII. Traditionally, the form and composition of the work called Φυσικὴ ἀκρόασις was taken to be the outcome of the editorial work done by Andronicus of Rhodes. According to Porphyry6 Andronicus was the first to collect and edit Aristotle’s writings, which, as the traditional view holds, eventually led to the Corpus Aristotelicum as we now have it.7 Based on the testimonies of Strabo and Plutarch8, the traditional view argues that Aristotle’s so-called esoteric writings9 were ultimately brought 4 For the latter see Jaeger (1955), 314–315, who argues that Book VIII in this sense “steht außerhalb der Physik” and occupies an exceptional position, as it belongs to natural philoso- phy in one sense, but to the field of metaphysics in another. Also von Arnim (1931), 30, Wagner (1967), 275, Zekl (1988), XXXVI, Graham (1999), xiii-xiv, and Flashar (2004), 263, emphasize the special status of Book VIII. Apart from these observations, which are based on the content, Book VIII is taken to be a later addition to the other books, for instance by Jaeger (1955), 314–315, and Ross (1936), 10. 5 See for instance Jaeger (1955), 315, Wagner (1967), 277–278, Brunschwig (1991), 24–25, and Barnes (1997), 65–66. Yet, as Brunschwig (1991), 28 and 36, correctly indicates, this does not necessarily imply that Aristotle did not have an overall plan for the Physics in mind. 6 Porphyry was instructed by his teacher Plotinus to arrange and edit his writings after his death, and for this reason put them into a systematic order, since prior to this the only order they had was that of their publication. In chapter 24 of his Life of Plotinus Porphyry writes that in his work on Plotinus’ writings he imitated Andronicus of Rhodes who “divided the works of Aristotle […] into treatises, collecting related material into the same place” (Vit. Plot. 24, 6–11, Transl. Barnes (1997), 37). 7 See for instance Düring (1957), 413–25. Also Barnes (1997), 37–39. 8 See Barnes (1997), 2–3. 9 The so-called esoteric writings of Aristotle were only used in the Lyceum, the school 16 The importance of the primary kind of change ISBN Print: 9783525253069 — ISBN E-Book: 9783647253060 © 2014, Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht GmbH & Co. KG, Göttingen