Abstract
AbstractJSVMR 4 provides support ‘according to reason’ for Aristotle’s proposition that the parts of the soul are situated in the middle of the body. Here we have a transition from the insights gained from empirical observation in JSVMR 2 and 3 to a theoretical defense of those insights based on rational argumentation. Aristotle invokes for this purpose his famous biological principle that given a range of possibilities nature will always select the optimal outcome. This leads him to make the following claims: in terms of proximity, the middle is close to those parts of the body that are involved in processing and receiving the ultimate nutriment. In terms of location, the middle provides a secure environment for protecting the source of heat. At the same time, its position in relation to the other parts ensures the connection of those parts to the psychic source and the source of heat, as well as their dependence on these two sources.
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