Although Aristotle’s contribution to biology has long been recognized, there are many philosophers and historians of science who still hold that he was the great delayer of natural science, calling him the man who held up the Scientific Revolution by two thousand years. They argue that Aristotle never considered the nature of matter as such or the changes that perceptible objects undergo simply as physical objects; he only thought about the many different, specific natures found in perceptible objects.

Aristotle’s Science of Matter and Motion’s focus is on refuting this misconception, arguing that Aristotle actually offered a systematic account of matter, motion, and the basic causal powers found in all physical objects. Author, Christopher Byrne sheds lights on Aristotle’s account of matter, revealing how Aristotle maintained that all perceptible objects are ultimately made from physical matter of one kind or another, accounting for their basic common features. For Aristotle, then, matter matters a great deal.

Although Aristotle’s contribution to biology has long been recognized, there are many philosophers and historians of science who still hold that he was the great delayer of natural science, calling him the man who held up the Scientific Revolution by two thousand years.

  • Imprint: University of Toronto Press
  • Published: August 2018
  • Pages: 208

Christopher Byrne is an associate professor in the Department of Philosophy at St. Francis Xavier University.

"Here is a book that ought, by rights, to function not just an introduction to Aristotelian natural philosophy but as an invitation to all who are expert in Aristotelian thought either to reassess some of their long-unexamined assumptions or else defend them in terms as lucid and balanced as those of Aristotle’s Science of Matter and Motion."

Graeme Hunter, Dominican University College, Ottawa

"Sustained, fearless, and tenacious, Aristotle’s Science of Matter and Motion is a magnum opus. Ever meticulous, it’s clear that Christopher Byrne has been reading and chewing over Aristotle for many years. Byrne’s reach over the secondary literature is vast. Beyond all question, this book makes a major contribution to the field."

John Thorp, Department of Philosophy, Western University

"Christopher Byrne presents compelling reasons to recognize that, for Aristotle, matter matters. Byrne successfully argues that Aristotle can only explain certain features of perceptible objects by appealing to their physical properties − or, to be more precise, their material natures. With this, Byrne contributes an important reason to reject the long-standing tradition of interpreting Aristotle’s works in a manner that would leave no room for such explanations."

Byron Stoyles, Department of Philosophy, Trent University

Short-listed - PROSE Award for Philosophy awarded by The American Association of Publishers

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