Aristotelian and Stoic Conceptions of Necessity in the De Fato of Alexander of Aphrodisias

Abstract

1 Supplementum Aristotelicum II.ii 164-212, ed. I. Bruns, Berlin 1892; cf. also pp. 169-186 Bruns of the de anima libri mantissa, in Supplementum Aristotelicum II.i (1887). All references will be to these editions. On the interpretation of the de fato (as opposed to discussion primarily concerned with textual points) cf.: R. A. Pack, 'A Passage in Alexander of Aphrodisias relating to the theory of Tragedy', AJP 58 (1937) 418-436; E. Valgiglio, 'II Fato nel Pensiero Classico Antico', Riv. Stud. Class. 15 (1967) 305-330 and 16 (1968) 56-84 (pp. 309-319 are devoted to Alexander's de fato); G. Verbeke, 'Aristot,lisme et Stoicisme dans le de fato d'Alexandre d'Aphrodise', AGPh 50 (1968) 73-100; A. A. Long, 'Stoic Determinism and Alexander of Aphrodisias de fato (i-xiv)', AGPh 52 (1970) 247-268; P. L. Donini, Tre studi sull' aristotelismo nel II secolo d.C. (Torino, 1974) 127-185. There is one translation of the de fato into English, by A. FitzGerald (London, 1931), but this is in places rather inadequate; I hope myself to produce a translation at a later date. P. Thillet has indicated in the introduction to his edition of the medieval Latin translation attributed to William of Moerbeke (Attudes de Philosophie Medidvale 51, Paris, 1963, p. 61) that he intends to produce a new edition of the Greek text. Reference will be made in this article to passages from the mantissa and also to some from the Quaestiones attributed to Alexander (Supplementum Aristotelicum II.ii). It is very possible that not all the texts in these collections are by Alexander (cf. P. Moraux, Alexandre d'Aphrodise: Ex6gNte de la Noetique d'Aristote, (Liege-Paris 1942), 19-28; P. Merlan, 'Zwei Untersuchungen zu Alexander von Aphrodisias', Philologus 113 (1969) 85-88; R. B. Todd, 'Alexander of Aphrodisias and the Alexandrian Quaestiones 2.12', Philologus 116 (1972) 293305), but it seems generally agreed that they show his influence, and even texts which may not be by Alexander himself may serve to bring out tensions in the Peripatetic position on the issues to be discussed in this article. I am particularly grateful to Professor Todd for sending me a copy of a bibliography on Alexander that he has prepared.