Philosophische Schriften. Band 6

The sixth volume of the Philosophical Writings contains Aristotle's Physics and the treatise On the Soul (De anima). In Physics, empiricism is examined as a prerequisite for any natural experience, along with the doctrine of cause and purpose as the foundation of science. It also explains the four categories of motion, space, time, and continuity as essential for human understanding of natural phenomena. The treatise De anima explores the nature of the soul. However, "soul" here should not be understood as the subjective center of our mental life, but rather as the principle that distinguishes living bodies from inanimate ones. It encompasses all forms of life, including plant, animal, and human life. The aim of the treatise is to define the soul, that is, to explain what it means for each of these forms of life to be alive. Topics discussed include vegetative self-preservation, perception, human thought, and the locomotion of living beings. De anima is considered one of the most fascinating, philosophically rewarding, yet also more challenging writings of Aristotle.