A Study of Aristotle's Philosophy Relating to Various Phases of the Mind-Body Problem

2017 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 26370005
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Philosophy/Ethics
• Research Institution: Ibaraki University
• Principal Investigator: WATANABE Kunio 茨城大学, 人文社会科学部, 教授 (30191753)
• Project Period (FY): 2014-04-01 – 2018-03-31
• Keywords: 心身問題 / アリストテレス / 『ニコマコス倫理学』 / 実践的知性 / 『魂について』 / 欲求 / 付帯的知覚 / 学習

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Aristotle is committed to the mind-body relationships both in his ethics and in his philosophy of mind. First, his explanation of the virtues of character employs the term 'intermediate' of feelings which should be taken in a quantitative manner, and in such a way as to reveal one's intellectual response to individual situations. Secondly, in his solution to the problem of incontinence, he acknowledges the existence of the mind-body relationship concerning objects of desire. Third, when he explains how animals are moved, his choice of the word 'intellect' for all the recognitions that contribute to animal movements mirrors his wish to focus on the normativity of such recognitions. However, this choice is consistent with his mild monism concerning mind and body. Finally, Aristotle sees 'accidental perceptions' from his wide perspective, which allows him to talk about skills, science and virtues as elements that have led one to an excellent accidental perception of the here and now.

Free Research Field

古代ギリシア哲学