Aristotle’s "Categories" and Porphyry

229 Pages·1996·4.79 MB·English

by  Evangeliou

ARISTOTLE'S CATEGORIES
AND
PORPHYRY
PHILOSOPHIA ANTIQUA
A SERIES OF STUDIES
ON ANCIENT PHILOSOPHY
EDITED BY
WJ. VERDENIUS ANDj.C.M. VAN WINDEN
VOLUME XLVIII
CHRISTOS EVA NGEUOU
ARISTOTLE'S CATEGORIES
AND
PORPHYRY
ARISTOTLE'S CATEGORIES
AND
PORPHYRY
BY
CHRISTOS EVA NGELIOU
SECOND EDITION
EJ.BRILL
LEIDEN · NEW YORK · KOLN
1996
The paper in this book meets the guidelines for permanence and durability of the
Committee on Production Guidelines for Book Longevity of the Council on Library
Resources.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Evangeliou, Christos.
Aristotle's Categories and Porphyry I by Christos Evangeliou.
p. em.- (Philosophia antiqua, ISSN 0079-1687; v. 48)
Based on the author's thesis (Ph.D.)--Emory University.
Bibliography: p.
Includes index.
ISBN 90 04 085386 (pbk.)
1. Aristotle. Categoriae. 2. Porphyry, ca. 234-ca. 305-
-Contributions in interpretation of Aristotle's doctrine of
categories. 3. P1otinus-Contributions in interpretation of
Aristotle's doctrine of categories. 4. Categories (Philosophy)-
-History. I. Title. II. Series.
B438.E9 1988
16o--dcl9 87-32284
CIP
ISSN 0079-1687
ISBN 90 04 08538 6
© Copyright 1988, 1996 by E.]. Brill, Leiden, The Netherlands
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PRINTED IN THE NETHERLANDS
To my Father
and the memory of my Mother
IIoAAot 1tOAA~~ xa-re.[l&Aovto cppovt(oOt~ d~ 'tO 'tW\1 XOt'tTJ"(OpLwv 'tOu
'ApLa'tO't€Aou~ ~L~A(ov.
Simplicius (CAG, VIII, 1, 1-2)

CONTENTS
Prologue... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . XI
Abbreviations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . XIII
Introduction .................................................................. .
1. Porphyry the Philosopher. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
2. The Problem of Aristotle's Categories............................ 7
3. Scope and Method of the Study................................... 10
PART ONE
PORPHYRY ON ARISTOTLE'S CATEGORIES
1. Traditional Questions Related to the Categories . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
1. An Established Tradition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
2. On the Title of the Treatise........................................ 19
3. On the Purpose of the Treatise.................................... 23
4. Alternative Proposed Interpretations.............................. 27
5. Conclusion.............................................................. 33
2. Porphyry's Comments on Categor£es, I............................... 35
1. The Division of the Treatise into Parts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
2. Ambiguity and its Kinds .. . . . .. . . . . . . . .. ... . .. .. ... .. . . .. . .. . .. .. . . . 37
3. Fourfold Division of ovtrx... ... . .. . . .. . .. . ..... .. . . . . .. . ... ... . . . . . .. 51
4. The Problem of Subordination..................................... 53
5. Twofold Division of AE"(OfLEVtX • • • • • • • • • • • . . . • • • • • • • • • • • . • • . • • • . • . . • . . 56
6. Conclusion.............................................................. 57
3. Porphyry's Comments on Categor£es, II.............................. 59
1. The Category of oua£rx................................................ 60
a. Primary and Secondary oua£rx . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
b. Characteristics of oua£rx . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
2. The Category of 1tocr6v . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . 73
a. Kinds of 1tocr6v .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
b. Characteristics of 1tocr6v........................................... 76
3. The Category of 1tp6c; 'tL.............................................. 79
a. Kinds of 1tp6t; 'tL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81
b. Characteristics of 1tp6c; 'tL. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81
VIII CONTENTS
4. The Category of 1tOL6v................................................ 84
a. Kinds of 1tOL6v....................................................... 84
b. Characteristics of 1toL6v . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85
5. The Other Six Categories........................................... 87
6. Conclusion.............................................................. 88
PART TWO
ARISTOTLE'S CATEGORIES,
PLOTINUS AND PORPHYRY
4. Plotinus' Criticism of Aristotle's Categories ... .. .. . . . . .. . . . .. .. . .. 93
1. Introductory Remarks................................................ 93
2. An Old Ontological Controversy.................................. 95
3. The Tenfold Division of ovrcx... .. . ... ...... .... .. .. . ... . . . . . . . .. .. . 96
4. The Fourfold Division of ov"tcx...................................... 125
5. Conclusion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127
5. Plotinus' Reduction of Aristotle's Categories...................... 129
1. The Platonic Division of ovrcx . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130
2. Being, Becoming and Their Relation............................. 138
3. Plotinus' Categories of Becoming . . . .. .. . . .... .. . . .. .. ... . .. ... . . . 143
a. The Category of oua(cx . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144
b. The Category of 1toa6v................................ .. . . . . . . . . . . 150
c. The Category of 1tOL6v ...... .. .. .......... ...... .... ..... ... .. . ... 155
d. The Category of x(VT)aL~ ... ... .. ... ... . . . ..... .. .... ..... ... .. ... . 158
e. The Category of 1tp6~ "tL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . 161
4. Conclusion.............................................................. 162
6. Plotinus, Porphyry and Aristotle's Categories..................... 164
1. Diversity in Unity..................................................... 164
a. Points on which the Two Philosophers Differ............... 164
b. The Common Background . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 174
2. Nature and Importance of their Disagreement................. 177
3. Conclusion.............................................................. 181
Glossary of Greek Terms . .. . . .. .. . . . .. .. .... .. .. . . .. . .. . . ... .. .. .. .. ... ... 182
Bibliography................................................................... 188
A. Primary Sources....................................................... 188
CONTENTS IX
B. Secondary Sources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 188
a. Books . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 188
b. Articles............................................................... 196
General Index.... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 205