Boethius on Mind, Grammar and Logic: A Study of Boethius’ Commentaries on Peri hermeneias

321 Pages·2011·2.515 MB·English

by  Taki Suto

Boethius on Mind, Grammar and Logic
Philosophia Antiqua
A Series of Studies on Ancient Philosophy
PreviousEditors
J.H. Waszink†
W.J. Verdenius†
J.C.M. Van Winden
Editedby
K.A. Algra
F.A.J. de Haas
J. Mansfeld
C.J. Rowe
D.T. Runia
Ch. Wildberg
VOLUME127
Thetitlespublishedinthisseriesarelistedatbrill.nl/pha
Boethius on Mind,
Grammar and Logic
A Study of Boethius’ Commentaries on
Peri hermeneias
By
Taki Suto
LEIDEN•BOSTON
2012
Thisbookisprintedonacid-freepaper.
LibraryofCongressCataloging-in-PublicationData
Suto,Taki.
Boethiusonmind,grammar,andlogic:astudyofBoethius'CommentariesonPerihermeneias
/byTakiSuto.
p.cm.–(Philosophiaantiqua,ISSN0079-1687;v.127)
Basedontheauthor'sthesis(Ph.D.)–St.LouisUniversity,2008,originallypresentedunder
thetitle:Boethiusonlanguage,mind,andreality.
Includesbibliographicalreferences(p.)andindex.
ISBN978-90-04-21418-7(hardcover:alk.paper)
1.Boethius,d.524.CommentariiinlibrumAristotelisPerihermeneias.2.Aristotle.De
interpretatione.3.Languageandlanguages–Philosophy.4.Logic,Ancient.I.Title.II.Series.
B439.B643S882012
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2011033833
ISSN0079-1687
ISBN9789004214187
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CONTENTS
Acknowledgements.................................................. xi
NotetotheReader................................................... xv
Chart:ContentsofBoethius’TwoCommentariesonPeri
hermeneias ........................................................ xvii
a. TheCorrespondencesbetweenBoethius’Commentaries
andAristotle’sPerihermeneias............................... xvii
b. Boethius’DivisionsoftheCommentaries ................... xviii
b-i. TheFirstCommentaryonPerihermeneias............ xviii
b-ii. TheSecondCommentary.............................. xviii
Chart:ChronologyofBoethius’Works ........................... xix
Chart:ChronologyofMajorThinkersandWriters............... xxi
Chart:RelationshipsamongAncientCommentators ............ xxiii
Introduction ......................................................... 1
. TheScopeofThisWork ...................................... 1
. BoethiusandtheAristotelianTraditionintheWest ........ 3
. ThePastStudiesofBoethius’CommentariesonPeri
hermeneias.................................................... 7
. TheFocusofThisWork ...................................... 8
PARTONE
BOETHIUSONWORDSANDMIND
I.TheSignificatumofSpokenWords................................ 17
. Introduction .................................................. 17
. Kretzmann’sInterpretationof‘Significatum’................. 20
. Is‘Significare’aTechnicalExpressionfor‘Sense’? ........... 22
. TheSignificatumofSpokenWords........................... 26
.. SpokenWordsSignifyThoughts....................... 26
.. SpokenWordsSignifyThoughtsandThings.......... 31
.. APropositionSignifiesTruthandFalsity ............. 35
. EmptyNamesandTruth-ValueGaps........................ 37
.. ArethereEmptyNames?............................... 37
.. IsthereaTruth-ValueGap?............................ 39
. TheParadigmofBoethius’Semantics........................ 41
viii contents
II.Wordsas‘Notae’ .................................................. 43
. Introduction .................................................. 43
. ‘Σ(cid:3)μ(cid:4)(cid:5)λ(cid:5)ν’and‘Σημε(cid:10)(cid:5)ν’inAristotle(a–)............. 45
.. ‘Σ(cid:3)μ(cid:4)(cid:5)λ(cid:5)ν’(a)...................................... 45
.. ‘Σημε(cid:10)(cid:5)ν’(a) ........................................ 48
.. ‘Σημε(cid:10)(cid:5)ν’⊃‘Σ(cid:3)μ(cid:4)(cid:5)λ(cid:5)ν’................................ 51
. Boethius’LatinTranslationof‘Nota’......................... 52
.. Whynot‘Symbolum’for‘Σ(cid:3)μ(cid:4)(cid:5)λ(cid:5)ν’? ................. 52
.. Whynot‘Signum’for‘Σημε(cid:10)(cid:5)ν’?....................... 58
.. ‘Nota’inCicero’sTopics ................................ 64
.. ‘Nota’Derivedfrom‘Noscere’.......................... 65
.. ‘Nota’asaConventionalToken........................ 66
.. ‘Nota’with‘Similitudo’................................. 70
. Conclusion.................................................... 74
III.ThreeTypesofSpeech........................................... 77
. Introduction .................................................. 77
. Kretzmann’sQuestions ....................................... 79
. TheAnswertoKretzmann’sSecondQuestion............... 81
.. UniversalMentalSpeechinBoethius’Texts........... 81
.. Magee’sAnswertoKretzmann’sSecondQuestion .... 84
.. TheProblemsinMagee’sInterpretation............... 88
.. TheStatusoftheNoun-VerbDistinctionintheMind 91
. OrderofSpeaking(OrdoOrandi)............................ 94
.. TheOrderofThings,Thoughts,SpokenWordsand
WrittenWords.......................................... 94
.. OrderingofNature(OrdinatioNaturae) .............. 96
.. SignificationandCausation............................ 99
.. TheOrderforaSpeakerandaListener................ 105
. FormationsofMentalSpeechandSpokenSpeech .......... 108
. Conclusion.................................................... 111
PARTTWO
BOETHIUSONLOGICANDGRAMMAR
IV.Nouns,Verbs,andConjunctions................................ 117
. Introduction .................................................. 117
. PartsofSpeech................................................ 120
.. TheHistoricalBackground:FromPlatotoDonatus .. 120
contents ix
.. Boethius’Division...................................... 124
.. Boethius’DelineationofLogicvs.Grammar.......... 126
. TheNounandtheVerb....................................... 129
.. TheCommonConditionsfortheNounandtheVerb 130
.. TheNoun-VerbDistinction............................ 132
.. IndefiniteNounsandVerbsandCasesofNounsand
Verbs.................................................... 135
.. DifferentNoun-VerbCategories....................... 138
. TheConjunction.............................................. 139
. Conclusion.................................................... 147
V.TheVarietiesofSpeech ........................................... 151
. Introduction .................................................. 151
. Imperfectvs.Perfect.......................................... 152
. Declarativevs.OtherFourSpecies........................... 152
. DistinctionsforExplainingtheUnityofPropositions:An
Overview...................................................... 155
. Singlevs.Multiple ............................................ 159
.. SingleAffirmationsandNegations .................... 159
.. SingleConditionalPropositions....................... 162
. Simplevs.Composite......................................... 170
.. ‘Term’(Terminus) ...................................... 171
.. ‘Diction’(Dictio)........................................ 174
.. TheSimpleProposition ................................ 175
. TheCombinedDistinctions.................................. 178
. SinglebyNaturevs.SinglebyStipulation.................... 181
. Conclusion.................................................... 182
VI.TheVerb‘ToBe’ ................................................. 187
. Introduction .................................................. 187
. DeRijk’sClaim ............................................... 188
. ‘Is’inBoethius’MonographsonLogic....................... 191
. ‘Is’inBoethius’ExpositionofChapter(‘Tertium
Adiacens’) ..................................................... 194
. Approachesto‘Is’(est)inPerihermeneias,Chapter....... 199
.. Aristotle’sTextandBoethius’Translation ............. 199
.. Boethius’Exposition ................................... 202
.. Ammonius’Exposition................................. 212
.. DifferencesbetweenBoethiusandAmmonius........ 217
. Conclusion.................................................... 219