Abstract
In Aristotle's biological works, there is an apparent conflict between passages which seem to insist that only hypothetical necessity (anagkē ex hypotheseōs) operates in the sublunary world, and passages in which some biological phenomena are explained as simply (haplōs) necessary. Parallel to this textual problem lies the claim that explanations in terms of simple necessity render teleological explanations (in some of which Aristotle puts hypothetical necessity to use) superfluous. I argue that the textual conflict is only apparent, and that Aristotle's notion of coincidental sameness allows him to avoid the superfluity problem.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Balme, D. M.: 1939, ‘Greek Science and Mechanism I’,Classical Quarterly 33, 129–138.
Balme, D. M.: 1972,Aristotle's De Partibus Animalium I and De Generatione Animalium I, Oxford University Press, Oxford.
Barnes, J.: 1984,The Complete Works of Aristotle: The Revised Oxford Translation, Princeton University Press, Princeton, N.J., 2 volumes.
Bradie, M. and F. D. Miller, Jr.: 1984, ‘Teleology and Natural Necessity in Aristotle’,History of Philosophy Quarterly 1, 133–146.
Charlton, W.: 1970,Aristotle's Physics I and II, Oxford University Press, Oxford.
Code, A.: 1976, ‘Aristotle's Response to Quine's Objections to Modal Logic’,Journal of Philosophical Logic 5, 159–186.
Code, A.: 1976a, ‘The Persistence of Aristolian Matter’,Philosophical Studies 29, 357–367.
Dancy, R. M.: 1978, ‘On Some of Aristotle's Second Thoughts About Substance: Matter’,Philosophical Review 87, 372–413.
Friedman, R.: 1983, ‘Matter and Necessity inPhysics B 9, 200a15–30’,Ancient Philosophy 3, 8–11.
Friedman, R.: 1986, ‘Simple Necessity in Aristotle's Biology’, forthcoming inInternational Studies in Philosophy.
Gotthelf, A.: 1976, ‘Aristotle's Conception of Final Causality’,Review of Metaphysics 30, 226–254.
Lewis, F. A.: 1982, ‘Accidental Sameness in Aristotle’,Philosophical Studies 42, 1–35.
Preus, A.: 1975,Science and Philosophy in Aristotle's Biological Works, Georg Olms, Hildescheim and New York.
Ross, W. D.: 1949,Aristotle's Prior and Posterior Analytics, Oxford University Press, Oxford.
Sorabji, R.: 1980,Necessity, Cause and Blame: Perspectives on Aristotle's Theory, Cornell University Press, Ithaca, N. Y.