History of Philosophy Without Any Gaps HoP 040 - Let's Get Physical - Aristotle's Natural Philosophy
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Jul 3, 2011 AI Snips
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Early Greek Thought & Simplicity
- Presocratic philosophers sought simplicity, explaining nature with single principles like water or air.
- This 'material monism' culminated with Parmenides, who believed complexity was an illusion.
Aristotle's Survey & Simplification
- Aristotle, in Physics, surveys earlier views, finding most predecessors favored few principles.
- He organizes these views by the number of invoked principles, highlighting the historical focus on simplification.
Aristotle's Golden Mean of Simplicity
- Aristotle advocates for a 'golden mean' of simplicity, arguing single-principle theories are insufficient.
- He proposes three principles: a subject of change, absence of form, and form, exemplified by a man becoming musical.