Philosophy Seminar Series: Tom Hercules Davies
Philosophy Seminar Series
Tom Hercules Davies | University of Melbourne | Wednesday 16 August 3:30pm
Aristotle (and his interpreters) on Nature and Explanation
Why does fire go up? Because that it is nature. What is the nature of fire? To go up. Aristotle would accept both these answers, and in 1686, Robert Boyle accused him of circular explanation on these grounds: appealing to a thing’s Nature to explain its behaviour is “equally applicable to the resolving of all difficulties” and “not useful to disclose the thing, but to delude the Maker of the Question, or hide the ignorance of the Answerer.” This talk defends Aristotle from the charge of circularity. But if Aristotle did not make this mistake, we might ask: why did so many early modern readers believe he did? The talk therefore also sketches a genealogy of Boyle’s criticism, tracking the charge to late-antique Alexandria.
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Hybrid Event
Philosophy Seminar Room (N494)
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Enquiries about the seminar series can be directed to ryan.cox@sydney.edu.au
Image: Photo by Micha Frank
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