The Two Systems Hypothesis
This chapter discusses Montgomery Furth's interpretation of Aristotle's Categories and Michael Frede's interpretation of Metaphysics also by Aristotle. Categories is unitarian which has a systematic explanation, and Metaphysics is developmentalist with a genetic explanation. This chapter argues that nothing in the two explanations excludes researchers from using both in conjunction although we cannot apply both to explain the same phenomenon in the same situation. It also mentions Werner Jaeger's Aristoteles, the most influential book of the century on Aristotle. Research by G. E. L. Owen and Ferdinand de Saussure is also examined in this chapter to reconcile the two points of view. There are two incompatible philosophic systems in Aristotle—those expressed in the Organon and the physical-metaphysical treatises. The physical-metaphysical treatises is posterior in time and results from a transformation of the Organon. Lastly, this chapter discusses the significance of the Two Systems Hypothesis.
Keywords: Aristotle, Furth, Frede, Jaeger, Owen, Saussure, physical-metaphysical treatises, Two Systems Hypothesis
Oxford Scholarship Online requires a subscription or purchase to access the full text of books within the service. Public users can however freely search the site and view the abstracts and keywords for each book and chapter.
Please, subscribe or login to access full text content.
If you think you should have access to this title, please contact your librarian.
To troubleshoot, please check our FAQs , and if you can't find the answer there, please contact us .