What is the alpha of philosophy?
Book I or Alpha outlines “first philosophy”, which is a knowledge of the first principles or causes of things. Book Alpha also surveys previous philosophies from Thales to Plato, especially their treatment of causes.
What does Aristotle say about metaphysics?
What is known to us as metaphysics is what Aristotle called “first philosophy.” Metaphysics involves a study of the universal principles of being, the abstract qualities of existence itself.
Did Aristotle create metaphysics?
The first major work in the history of philosophy to bear the title “Metaphysics” was the treatise by Aristotle that we have come to know by that name.
When did Aristotle write his metaphysics?
This period in Athens, between 335 and 323 BC, is when Aristotle is believed to have composed many of his works. He wrote many dialogues, of which only fragments have survived.
How many books are there in Aristotle’s Metaphysics?
Aristotle’s Metaphysics is divided into fourteen books, which are usually named after the first thirteen letters of the Greek alphabet. The books, in order, are Alpha, Alpha the Lesser, Beta, Gamma, Delta, Epsilon, Zeta, Eta, Theta, Iota, Kappa, Lambda, Mu, and Nu.
What was the purpose of Aristotle’s Book gamma?
Aristotle himself provides no answers to the puzzles but rather takes them as examples of extreme positions between which he will try to mediate throughout the rest of the Metaphysics. Book Gamma asserts that philosophy, especially metaphysics, is the study of being qua being.
What are the names of all of Aristotle’s books?
Metaphysics: Books Alpha to Epsilon. Aristotle’s Metaphysics is divided into fourteen books, which are usually named after the first thirteen letters of the Greek alphabet. The books, in order, are Alpha, Alpha the Lesser, Beta, Gamma, Delta, Epsilon, Zeta, Eta, Theta, Iota, Kappa, Lambda, Mu, and Nu.
What was the purpose of Aristotle’s Book Beta?
Book Beta consists of a series of fifteen metaphysical puzzles on the nature of first principles, substance, and other fundamental concepts. In each case, Aristotle presents a thesis and a contradicting antithesis, both of which could be taken as answers to the puzzle.