Philoponus on Aristotle's On Coming-to-be and Perishing 1.1-5

Download or read book Philoponus on Aristotle's On Coming-to-be and Perishing 1.1-5 written by John Philoponus and published by . This book was released on 1999 with total page 216 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The first five chapters of Aristotle's De Generatione et Corruptione distinguish creation and destruction from mere qualitative change and from growth. But what inspires Philoponus most in his commentary on these chapters is the topic of organic growth. How does it take place without ingested matter getting into the same place as the growing body? And how is personal identity preserved, if our matter is always in flux, and our form depends on our matter? If we do not depend on the persistence of matter why are we not immortal? Analogous problems of identity arise also for inanimate beings. These topics of identity over time and the principles of causation are still matters of intense philosophical discussion.