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The Quaestiones attributed to Alexander of Aphrodisias, the leading ancient commentator on Aristotle, are concerned with physics and metaphysics, psychology and divine providence. They exemplify the process by which Aristotle's thought came to be organised into 'Aristotelianism', and show how interpretations were influenced by the doctrines of Hellenistic philosophy. Some of them, translated into Arabic and thence into Latin, played a part in the transmission of ancient Greek philosophy to the medieval world; and they are still of use today in the interpretation of Aristotle's views on such matters as the problem of universals and the relation between form and matter. The Quaestiones have been studied more and more in recent years; but the present volume and its successor offer the first translation of the whole collection into English or any other modern language.

Aristotle's Metaphysics 2 consists of two chapters on methodology flanking an important discussion of the impossibility of infinite causal chains. The subject is vital for scientific method and for theological belief in a first cause and in a beginning of the universe. Philoponus later attacked Aristotle on this last point, but Alexander presents Aristotle's view in a most favourable light.In Metaphysics 3, Aristotle sets out what he sees as the central problems of metaphysics. Alexander's commentary was subsequently used by the Neoplatonists, two of whom have left their own commentaries, so that Alexander's Aristotelian interpretation can be compared with its rivals.

There has recently been considerable renewed interest in Book 7 of the Physics of Aristotle, once regarded as merely an undeveloped forerunner to Book 8. The debate surrounding the importance of the text is not new to modern scholarship: for example, in the fourth century BC Eudemus, the Peripatetic philosopher associate of Aristotle, left it out of his treatment of the Physics. Now, for the first time, Charles Hagen''s lucid translation gives the English reader access to Simplicius'' commentary on Book 7, an indispensable tool for the understanding of the text. Its particular interest lies in its explanation of how the chapters of Book 7 fit together and its reference to a more extensive second version of Aristotle''s text than the one which survives today.

Paul Lettinck has restored a lost text of Philoponus by translating it for the first time from Arabic (only limited fragments have survived in the original Greek). The text, recovered from annotations in an Arabic translation of Aristotle, is an abridging paraphrase of Philoponus'' commentary on Physics Books 5-7, with two final comments on Book 8. The Simplicius text, which consists of his comments on Aristotle''s treatment of the void in chapters 6-9 of Book 4 of the Physics, comes from Simplicius'' huge commentary on Book 4. Simplicius'' comments on Aristotle''s treatment of place and time have been translated by J. O. Urmson in two earlier volumes of this series.

This volume completes the translation in this series of Quaestiones attributed to Alexander of Aphrodisias, the leading ancient commentator on Aristotle. The Quaestiones are concerned with physics and metaphysics, psychology and divine providence. They exemplify the process whereby Aristotle''s thought came to be organised into ''Aristotelianism'' and show how interpretations were influenced by doctrines of Hellenistic philosophy. Some, translated into Arabic and thence into Latin, played a part in the transmission of ancient Greek philosophy to the medieval world. Those interested in Aristotle''s psychological views will find this half of Quaestiones particularly valuable. Ten of the problems discussed explicitly involve issues raised in On the Soul, including the unity of apperception and the transition from first to second actuality in the act of contemplation. A further dozen concern problems in physical theory, including infinity, necessity and potentiality. Quaestio 2.21 concerns divine providence and helps supplement our knowledge of Alexander''s position based on surviving Arabic fragments of his On Providence.

Book 3 of Aristotle''s Physics primarily concerns two important concepts for his theory of nature: change and infinity. Change is important because, in Book 2, he has defined nature - the subject-matter of the Physics - as an internal source of change. Much of his discussion is dedicated to showing that the change occurs in the patient which undergoes it, not in the agent which causes it. Thus Book 3 is an important step in clearing the way for Book 8''s claims for a divine mover who causes change but in whom no change occurs. The second half of Book 3 introduces Aristotle''s doctrine of infinity as something which is always potential, never actual, never traversed and never multiplied. Here, as elsewhere, Philoponus the Christian turns Aristotle''s own infinity arguments against the pagan Neoplatonist belief in a beginningless universe. Such a universe, Philoponus replies, would involve actual infinity of past years already traversed, and a multiple number of past days. The commentary also contains intimations of the doctrine of impetus - which has been regarded, in its medieval context, as a scientific revolution - as well as striking examples of Philoponus'' use of thought experiments to establish philosophical and broadly scientific conclusions.

Aristotle's "Meterology Book 4" provides an account of the formation of minerals, metals and other homogeneous stuffs. In doing so, this text argues, it offers us fresh and important insights into Aristotle's conception of matter.

Book two of Aristotle's "Physics" is thought by some to be the most interesting and representative book in the whole of his corpus. This is a translation of Simplicius's commentary, written in the 6th century AD. He analyzes Aristotle's use of technical terms.

Simplicius and Priscian were two of the seven Neoplatonists who left Athens when the Christian Emperor Justinian closed the pagan school there in AD 529. Their commentaries on works on sense perception, one by Aristotle and one by his successor Theophrastus, are translated in this volume.

Simplicius produced detailed commentaries on several of the works of Aristotle. This is Urmson's translation of Simplicius' commentary on "Physics 5" in which Aristotle lays down some of the principles of his dynamics and theory of change.

This series translates the 15,000 pages of philosophical writings by the ancient Greek commentators on Aristotle, written mainly between 200 and 600 AD. Now translated into English, these works include introductions, notes and comprehensive indexes, filling a gap in the history of European thought.

This volume translates the earlier part of the commentary by Philoponus on Aristotle's "On the Soul".

The ancient Greek commentators on Aristotle constitute a large body of Greek philosophical writings, not previously translated into European languages. This volume includes notes and indexes and forms part of a series to fill this gap.

In "Categories" chapters 7 and 8 Aristotle considers his third and fourth categories - those of Relative and Quality. This text provides a translation of Simplicius' commentary on "Categories".

This text contains translations of three commentaries on Aristotle's "Nicomachean Ethics". Of the three, that by the second-century AD Aspasius is the earliest extant commentary on Aristotle; the second is by Michael of Ephesus in the twelfth century; the third is of unknown date and author.

In Metaphysics 4 Aristotle discusses the nature of metaphysics, the basic laws of logic, the falsity of subjectivism and the different types of ambiguity. The full, clear commentary of Alexander of Aphrodisias on this important book is here translated into English by Arthur Madigan. Alexander goes through Aristotle''s text practically line by line, attending to the logical sequence of the arguments, noting places where Aristotle''s words will bear more than one interpretation and marking variant readings. He repeatedly cross-refers to the De Interpretatione, Analytics, Physics and other works of Aristotle, thus placing Metaphysics 4 in the content of Aristotle''s philosophy as a whole.

This translation in the commentary series on Aristotle On the Soul discusses the objects of the intellect, practical reasoning and the interaction between desire and cognition.

This is the first translation into English of the commentary of the sixth-century philosopher Simplicius on Aristotle's Physics book eight, chapters one to five, which discuss Alexander's analysis of the transition between levels of potential and actual motion, and the treatment of animal motion.

Philoponus' treatise Against Aristotle on the Eternity of the World, an attack on Aristotle's astronomy and theology is concerned mainly with the eternity and divinity of the fifth element, or 'quintessence', of which Aristotle took the stars to be composed.

Alexander of Aphrodisias was the greatest exponent of Aristotelianism after Aristotle, and his commentary on Metaphysics 1-5 is the most substantial commentary on the Metaphysics to have survived from antiquity.

This is the first translation into English of the commentary of the sixth-century philosopher Philoponus on Aristotle's Physics Book 4, chapters 6-9. In this section of his commentary, Philoponus attacks Aristotle's views on void (or vacuum) and motion.