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Duquesne University Duquesne Scholarship Collection Electronic Theses and Dissertations Summer 8-8-2020 The Ontology of Not-Being in Aristotle and His Predecessors Abraham Jacob Greenstine Follow this and additional works at: https://dsc.duq.edu/etd Part of the History of Philosophy Commons Recommended Citation Greenstine, A. (2020). The Ontology of Not-Being in Aristotle and His Predecessors (Doctoral dissertation, Duquesne University). Retrieved from https://dsc.duq.edu/etd/1912 This Immediate Access is brought to you for free and open access by Duquesne Scholarship Collection. It has been accepted for inclusion in Electronic Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Duquesne Scholarship Collection. THE ONTOLOGY OF NOT-BEING IN ARISTOTLE AND HIS PREDECESSORS A Dissertation Submitted to the McAnulty College and Graduate School of Liberal Arts Duquesne University In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy By Abraham Jacob Greenstine August 2020 Copyright by Abraham Jacob Greenstine 2020 THE ONTOLOGY OF NOT-BEING IN ARISTOTLE AND HIS PREDECESSORS By Abraham Jacob Greenstine Approved June 26, 2020 ________________________________ ________________________________ Ronald Polansky Patrick Miller Professor of Philosophy Associate Professor of Philosophy (Committee Chair) (Committee Member) ________________________________ Walter Brogan Professor of Philosophy (Committee Member) ________________________________ ________________________________ Kristine L. Blair Daniel Selcer Dean, McAnulty College and Graduate Chair, Department of Philosophy School of Liberal Arts Professor of Philosophy iii ABSTRACT THE ONTOLOGY OF NOT-BEING IN ARISTOTLE AND HIS PREDECESSORS By Abraham Jacob Greenstine August 2020 Dissertation supervised by Professor Polansky Aristotle is not thought to have a theory of not-being, but, in this project, I show that there are several distinct ways of not-being established in his writings. As being is said according to what is in-itself, what is accidentally, what is true, and what is actualized, so not-being is determined as the privative, the false, or potentiality. In each of these cases, I articulate what it means that it is a way of not-being, and how it is also a way of being. Aristotle’s theory is put in contrast to his predecessors, especially Parmenides and Plato, whose ontologies are centered around either denying not-being any status or making it into a first principle. iv DEDICATION This work is dedicated to my parents, without whom I would not be. v ACKNOWLEDGMENT I am grateful for the the support of Duquesne University’s Department of Philosophy, as well as McAnulty Graduate School of Liberal Arts and the German- American Fulbright Commission for their support of this project. The first time we met, Ron Polansky told me he suspects that he has written more on Aristotle than anyone, ever. Having read a fraction of his writing, I find this supposition entirely plausible. While writing, I could call or email Ron at any point to hash out whatever trouble I had with the ancient philosophers, large or small. I am grateful for his support. Thanks to all my teachers from across the years. In particular, Gottfried Heinemann, Dan Selcer, Jennifer Bates, Jim Swindal, and Michael Weinman have all made indelible marks on my thinking and work. Further thanks go to Patrick Miller and Walter Brogan for helping to wrap this project up while under quarantine conditions. I have so much gratitude for my friends and colleagues. Justin Humphreys provided many helpful notes and conversations on the work below. Dialogue with Ryan Johnson continues to provoke my thinking. The friendship and intellectual companionship of Charlie Salem is peerless. Cameron Coates worked with me to troubleshoot some of the trickiest spots of Aristotle’s philosophy. Virtual meetings with Caity Swanson helped me get to a final draft. To each I offer a special thanks. Most of all, I am grateful for the perserverent and unbounded encouragement from my partner, Andreea. Sunt mai complet când sunt cu tine. vi TABLE OF CONTENTS Page Abstract ....................................................................................................................................iv Dedication ................................................................................................................................. v Acknowledgment .....................................................................................................................vi List of Abbreviations ...............................................................................................................ix Chapter 1 – In Pursuit of Not-Being i. A Questionable Concept ........................................................................................ 1 ii. Why Aristotle? ....................................................................................................... 3 iii. Why the Predecessors? ......................................................................................... 6 iv. The Language of Not-Being .................................................................................. 7 Part I – Much Ado About Nothing: The Debate in Aristotle’s Predecessors Chapter 2 – The Eleatic Origins of Not-Being i. The Eleatics: Parmenides and Melissus............................................................. 18 ii. The Atomists: Leucippus and Democritus.......................................................... 29 iii. The Sophists: Gorgias, Euthydemus, and Dionysodorus .................................. 37 Chapter 3 – Plato’s Idea of Not-Being i. Philosophy in Dialogue ....................................................................................... 46 ii. The Sophist ........................................................................................................... 48 iii. Other Appearances of Not-Being in Plato ......................................................... 63 iv. A Synopsis of Plato’s Idea of Not-Being ............................................................ 81 v. Plato and Eleaticism............................................................................................ 83 Chapter 4 – Aristotle Against Eleatic Ontology i. An Eleatic Debate ................................................................................................ 85 ii. The Conclusions Do Not Follow: Against Parmenides..................................... 91 iii. Those Who Conceded to the Arguments ............................................................. 94 iv. The Aristotelian Alternative ................................................................................ 98 Part II – Say No More: On the Several Senses of Not-Being in Aristotle Chapter 5 – The Basic Aristotelian Determinations of Not-Being i. That Not-Being Somehow Is ..............................................................................102 ii. Not-Being and the Principles of Investigation .................................................104 iii. What Is Not, Simply ...........................................................................................110 iv. Not-Being and Οὐσία .........................................................................................111 v. Not-Being Is Threefold ......................................................................................115 Chapter 6 – Privation: Categorical Not-Being i. Not-Being and Being In-Itself ...........................................................................118 ii. Not-Being and Being Accidentally....................................................................121 Chapter 7 – The False: Veridical Not-Being i. Being Beyond the Categorical ..........................................................................133 ii. How Truth and Falsity Are ...............................................................................136 iii. How the False Is Not .........................................................................................158 vii Chapter 8 – Potentiality: Not-Being Actualized i. A New Distinction ..............................................................................................163 ii. Actualization in Aristotle ...................................................................................169 iii. The Language of Δύναμις ..................................................................................186 iv. Potency ...............................................................................................................191 v. Potentiality as a Way of Being ..........................................................................204 vi. Being-Potentially as Not-Being ........................................................................215 Chapter 9 – Some Conclusions i. A Synopsis of Aristotle’s Several Ways of Not-Being ......................................229 ii. Being, Not-Being, and Determination ..............................................................231 iii. The Silent Legacy of Aristotle on Not-Being ....................................................232 viii LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS Cat. Aristotle Categoriae De An. Aristotle De Anima DK Diels, H., and W. Kranz Die Fragmente der Vorsokratiker GA Aristotle De Generatione Animalium GC Aristotle De Generatione et Corruptione Int. Aristotle De Interpretatione Meta. Aristotle Metaphysica MXG (Pseudo-)Aristotle De Melisso, Xenophane, Gorgia Phys. Aristotle Physica Post. An. Aristotle Analytica Posteriora SE Aristotle De Sophisticis Elenchis
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