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https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.26362/20260107

Aristotle’s Fourfold Progression to Define the Soul

Lianchong Deng orcid.org/0009-0000-8700-2196 ; School of Philosophy, Zhejiang University, China / Department of Classical Studies, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, USA

Sažetak

Aristotle introduces three soul-definitions in De Anima II.1: (i) ‘form definition’, (ii) ‘actualization definition’, and (iii) ‘instrument-based definition’. Drawing on insights from Parts of Animals I.5, this paper proposes a reconstructed fourth one: (iv) ‘telos definition’. Aristotle’s inquiry is progressive, meaning each new definition is intended to resolve the inadequacies of the previous one. His final proposal is that the soul is the principle of life as the final cause in a natural body. This definition conforms to the criteria for a causal definition as outlined in De Anima II.2 and Posterior Analytics II.

Ključne riječi

conditional necessity; De Anima; Parts of Animals; soul-definition

Hrčak ID:

347716

URI

https://hrcak.srce.hr/347716

Datum izdavanja:

11.6.2026.

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