Knowledge, Theory of -- Early works to 1800; Philosophy -- Early works to 1800
fiery external rim of the universe of which the stars are mere nodes, and
with which they revolve. How natural then, in the absence of Aristotle's
works, to conclude that the αεικινητος ψυχη of Plato came from the
αεικινητος αιθηρ of Aristotle! Arist. had guarded himself by saying that
the soul as an αρχη κινησεως must be ακινητος, but Cic. had no means of
knowing this (see Stob. I. 41, 36). Again, Plato had often spoken of souls
at death flying away to the outer circle of the universe, as though to
their natural home, just where Arist. placed his πεμπτον σωμα Any one who
will compare _T.D._ I. 43 with the _Somn. Scipionis_ will see what power
this had over Cicero. Further, Cic. would naturally link the mind in its
origin with the stars which both Plato and Arist. looked on as divine (cf.
_Somn. Scip._ 15) These considerations will be enough to show that neither
Cic. nor Antiochus, whom Madv. considers responsible for the error, could
have escaped it in any way not superhuman except by the recovery of
Aristotle's lost works, which did not happen till too late. _Sensus_: we
seem here to have a remnant of the distinction drawn by Arist. between
animal heat and other heat, the former being αναλογον τω των αστρων
στοιχειω (_De Gen. An._ II. 3, qu. R. and P. 299). _Ignem_: the Stoics made
no difference, except one of degree, between αιθηρ and πυρ, see Zeller 189,
190. _Ipsam naturam_: πυρ is κατ' εξοχην στοιχειον (Stob. I. 10, 16), and
is the first thing generated from the αποιος ‛υλη; from it comes air, from
air water, from water earth (Diog. Laert. VII. 136, 137) The fire is
λογικον, from it comes the ‛ηγεμονικον of man, which comprises within it
all powers of sensation and thought. These notions came from Heraclitus who
was a great hero of the Stoics (Zeller ch. VIII. with notes) For his view
of sensation and thought see Sextus _Adv. Math._ VII. 127--129, qu. by R.
and P. 21. The Stoics probably misunderstood him; cf. R. and P.
"Heraclitus," and Grote's _Plato_ I. 34 sq. _Expers corporis_: for Stoic
materialism see Zeller, pp. 120 sq. The necessity of a connection between
the perceiving mind and the things perceived followed from old physical
principles such as that of Democritus (ου γαρ εγχωρειν τα ‛ετερα και
διαφεροντα πασχειν ‛υπ' αλληλων, qu. from Arist. _De Gen. et Corr._ I. 7,
by R. and P. 43), the same is affirmed loosely of all the old φυσικοι,
(Sextus _Adv. Math._ VII. 116), and by Empedocles in his lines γαιαι μεν
γαιαν οπωπαμεν, etc. Plato in the _Timaeus_ fosters the same notion, though
in a different way. The Stoics simply followed out boldly that line of
thought. _Xenocrates_: see II. 124, n. _Superiores_: merely the supposed
old Academico-Peripatetic school. _Posse esse non corpus_: there is no
ultimate difference between Force and Matter in the Stoic scheme, see
Zeller, pp. 134, 135.
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