On Location: Aristotle's Concept of Place

by Benjamin Morison

Overview

On Location is the first book in English exclusively devoted to a highly significant doctrine in the history of philosophy and science--Aristotle's account of place in the Physics. The central question which Aristotle aims to answer is: What is it for something to be somewhere? Ben Morison examines how Aristotle works from simple observations about replacement to a definition of the notion of the place of a body--the inner limit of that body's surroundings. This definition lies at the heart of what we say about places, for instance when we say that we cannot be in two places at once, or that two bodies cannot be in the same place at the same time. Morison also assesses Aristotle's brilliant, though often obscure, criticisms of rival theories. This authoritative exposition and defence of Aristotle's account of place not only allows it to be properly understood in the wider context of the Physics, but also demonstrates that it is of enduring philosophical interest and value.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780191530135
Publisher:	Oxford University Press
Publication date:	02/07/2002
Series:	Oxford Aristotle Studies Series
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
File size:	714 KB

About the Author

Benjamin Morison is a Fellow and Tutor in Philosophy at Exeter College, Oxford.

Table of Contents

Introduction1. Places, Natural Places, and the Power of Place2. Being In3. Zeno's Paradox of Place4. Three Possibilities for Place: Matter, Form, and Space5. Aristotle's Concept of PlaceBibliography, Index

Editorial Reviews

"This book is very readable and clearly presented. ... Anyone interested in Aristotle, the history of philosophy and science, or ancient philosophy will want to read this refreshingly positive and philosophically interesting account of the seemingly ordinary yet very complex notion of place."—The Review of Metaphysics

From the Publisher