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Self-Consciousness and the Tradition in Aristotle's Psychology Document généré le 2 oct. 2021 14:17 Laval théologique et philosophique Self-Consciousness and the Tradition in Aristotle’s Psychology John Edward Russon Foi et Raison Volume 52, numéro 3, octobre 1996 URI : https://id.erudit.org/iderudit/401023ar DOI : https://doi.org/10.7202/401023ar Aller au sommaire du numéro Éditeur(s) Faculté de philosophie, Université Laval ISSN 0023-9054 (imprimé) 1703-8804 (numérique) Découvrir la revue Citer cet article Russon, J. E. (1996). Self-Consciousness and the Tradition in Aristotle’s Psychology. Laval théologique et philosophique, 52(3), 777–803. https://doi.org/10.7202/401023ar Tous droits réservés © Laval théologique et philosophique, Université Laval, Ce document est protégé par la loi sur le droit d’auteur. L’utilisation des 1996 services d’Érudit (y compris la reproduction) est assujettie à sa politique d’utilisation que vous pouvez consulter en ligne. https://apropos.erudit.org/fr/usagers/politique-dutilisation/ Cet article est diffusé et préservé par Érudit. Érudit est un consortium interuniversitaire sans but lucratif composé de l’Université de Montréal, l’Université Laval et l’Université du Québec à Montréal. Il a pour mission la promotion et la valorisation de la recherche. https://www.erudit.org/fr/ Laval théologique et philosophique, 52, 3 (octobre 1996) : 777-803 SELF-CONSCIOUSNESS AND THE TRADITION IN ARISTOTLE'S PSYCHOLOGY John Edward RUSSON RÉSUMÉ : La méthode historique qu'utilise Aristote à l'égard de ses prédécesseurs trouve sa jus• tification dans sa psychologie et son épistémologie. La définition aristotélicienne de l'âme dans le De Anima implique que toute connaissance est l'unification du sujet et de l'objet et l'animation d'un corps. La notion d'« habituation », dans les Seconds Analytiques //, 19, montre comment cela s'applique à l'intellect. L'animation de l'objet (son corps) par l'esprit dans la compréhension intellectuelle est complète uniquement quand ce qui comprend se re• connaît comme le remplissement exigé par son objet. Ce principe qui justifie Aristote de se considérer comme l'accomplissement de sa tradition rend obligatoire aussi que notre compré• hension de sa philosophie soit adéquate à ses textes. SUMMARY: Aristotle's "historical method" in his approach to his predecessors is the one de• manded by his psychology and epistemology. Aristotle's definition of soul in De Anima implies that all knowing is a unification of subject and object and is the animating of a body. The no• tion of habituation in Posterior Analytics 11.19 shows how this applies to intellect. The mind's animating of its object (its body) in intellectual comprehension is only complete when the comprehending recognizes itself as the fulfillment for which its object has been asking. This very principle which justifies Aristotle's portrayal of himself as the fulfillment of his tradition requires that our comprehension of Aristotle's philosophy likewise recognize itself as the ful• fillment of his texts. INTRODUCTION t is characteristic of Aristotle's method that he begins his analyses by calling a I counsel of his philosophical ancestors, and that he only articulates his own posi• tion once he has let his study of his tradition provide him with a conceptual matrix within which to situate his own investigations ; the best examples of this approach are found in Metaphysics A, and in Book I of the text which will provide the focus for this study, De Anima. While it is a commonplace to write off this aspect of Aris- 777 JOHN EDWARD RUSSON totle's work as interesting source material, but neither scientific in its own right, nor, indeed, essential to Aristotle's project, I will argue on the contrary both (a) that this canvassing of the tradition is essential to Aristotle's project, and (b) that the form of his approach is not only methodologically sound but, further, that it is the precise method demanded by his psychology and epistemology. The criticism of Aristotle's treatment of his predecessors is familiar and it is typi• fied by this remark of Burnet : As a rule, Aristotle's statements about early philosophers are far less historical than Plato's. He nearly always discusses the facts from the point of view of his own system. [...] He is convinced that his own philosophy accomplishes what all previous philosophers had aimed at, and their systems are therefore regarded as "lisping" attempts to formulate it.1 There are basically two criticisms here, or two stages of one criticism : first, Ar• istotle appraises the others in his terms, and, second, he views his own system as the consummation of the earlier attempts. In other words, in looking at the other, Aris• totle only sees himself, and, indeed this self-cognizance is posited as the very goal of the other. The response to this challenge has three parts. I begin by considering Aristotle's approach to his predecessors in Book I of De Anima, and draw two conclusions. First, Aristotle's definition of soul in Book II of De Anima appears as simply a unified statement of the claims made by the tradition. Second, the motivation and methodological justification for formulating such a uni• fied statement itself appears as a demand made by the tradition, and Aristotle's action of philosophical retrospection appears in turn as the conclusion of a practical syllo• gism for which the philosophical tradition itself is the agent. This first section pro• vides the basic form which the answer to our problematic takes, but it also introduces a number of theses which it is the project of the remainder of the paper to defend. The second part is the main argumentative focus of the paper, and it is an elabo• rate argument for a unified interpretation of Aristotle's psychology and epistemology. The argument here posits a doctrine of dynamic holism as the logical key to Aristotle physics, and the philosophy of mind and epistemology which it includes.2 This be• gins with an analysis of soul as the principle of identification with otherness, and moves through an account of ëÇiç as development and mediation to an interpretation of voûç as self-cognition as the il frv eivai of a tradition. Along the way it becomes clear that Aristotle has an animative theory of cognition, according to which knowing is the act of bringing the object to life, as opposed to a representative theory, accord• ing to which the mind is a passive theatre. 1. J. BURNET, Early Greek Philosophy, 4th ed. (Meridian Books, 1957), p. 31. 2. My argument bears on Aristotle's alleged functionalism : see R. SORABJI, "Body and Soul in Aristotle," Philosophy, 49 (1974), revised and reprinted in J. BARNES, R. SORABJI and M. SCHOFIELD, eds, Articles on Aristotle in 4 volumes, (Duckworth, 1975-1979), vol. IV, p. 42-64 ; H. ROBINSON, "Mind and Body in Ar• istotle," Classical Quarterly, n.s. 28 (1978) : p. 105-124; R. HEINAMEN, "Aristotle and the Mind-Body Problem," Phronesis, 35 (1990) : p. 83-102. Compare A. BEN-ZEEV, "Making Mental Properties More Natural," Monist, 69 (1968) : p. 434-446. 778 SELF-CONSCIOUSNESS AND THE TRADITION IN ARISTOTLE'S PSYCHOLOGY The third part takes the epistemological conclusions reached in Part Two, and explicitly draws out their implications for the philosophy of history as it relates to Aristotle's method of finding a rationality in his tradition by forcing it to interpret it• self, and concludes in a justification of the method of analysis used in this essay. I. THE EMERGENCE OF THE DEFINITION OF SOUL Aristotle's ultimate goal is to know the substance of soul as embodied in a defi• nition from which its attributes can be deduced.3 To find this definition requires be• ginning with the already recognized attributes, and working up from these to the knowledge of the substance. Consequently, Aristotle begins De Anima with this re• mark regarding the immediate method and goal of the inquiry : [...] when we are able to give an account conformable to experience [iccrrà Tn,v (fxxv-caaiav] of all or most of the properties of a substance, we shall be in the most favorable position to say something worth saying [ëÇonev Xéyeiv KaAÀiaxa] about the essential nature of that subject [Tcepi rn,ç oùaiaç] (I.1.402b22-25, trans. J.A. Smith). There will be reason later to consider both the phrase "Korea tf]v <|>avTacio:v" and the phrase "ë£ou.ev téyeiv KàMaora," but for now it is sufficient to see in this remark an expression of the need to begin from the attributes which are "familiar to us" in order to get at the real essence or substance of the matter (ovoid). But where are the explananda — the attributes — to be found ? For Aristotle, the primary resource is the history of speculation about the soul ; thus, in Chapters 2 through 5 of Book I, Aristotle questions the tradition for his starting points. He be• gins Chapter 2 by expressing this need to consult his heritage : It is necessary for us looking on about the soul and being without a way through that through which we need passage, progressing, to take along beside us the opinions of as many of those who came before as showed forth something about it [the soul] so that we may take up what has been justly said, and so that, if something has not been justly said, we may beware of it ; and it is necessary at the beginning of the search to lay down what is especially reputed to belong to it [the soul] by nature, (I.2.403b20-25, my trans.). To find our way about it is necessary to situate ourselves with respect to the tradi• tion : we must discover the soul's reputation.
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