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Alexander of Aphrodisias

Alexander of Aphrodisias (Greek: Ἀλέξανδρος ὁ Ἀφροδισιεύς; fl. 200 AD) was a Peripatetic philosopher and the most celebrated of the Ancient Greek commentators on the writings of Aristotle. He was a native of Aphrodisias in Caria and lived and taught in Athens at the beginning of the 3rd century, where he held a position as head of the Peripatetic school. He wrote many commentaries on the works of Aristotle, extant are those on the Prior Analytics, Topics, Meteorology, Sense and Sensibilia, and Metaphysics. Several original treatises also survive, and include a work On Fate, in which he argues against the Stoic doctrine of necessity; and one On the Soul. His commentaries on Aristotle were considered so useful that he was styled, by way of pre-eminence, "the commentator" (ὁ ἐξηγητής).

Alexander of Aphrodisias

2nd century AD

3rd century AD

Influence[edit]

By the 6th century Alexander's commentaries on Aristotle were considered so useful that he was referred to as "the commentator" (ὁ ἐξηγητής).[26] His commentaries were greatly esteemed among the Arabs, who translated many of them,[7] and he is heavily quoted by Maimonides.


In 1210, the Church Council of Paris issued a condemnation, which probably targeted the writings of Alexander among others.[27]


In the early Renaissance his doctrine of the soul's mortality was adopted by Pietro Pomponazzi (against the Thomists and the Averroists),[7] and by his successor Cesare Cremonini. This school is known as Alexandrists.


Alexander's band, an optical phenomenon, is named after him.

Modern editions[edit]

Several of Alexander's works were published in the Aldine edition of Aristotle, Venice, 1495–1498; his De Fato and De Anima were printed along with the works of Themistius at Venice (1534); the former work, which has been translated into Latin by Grotius and also by Schulthess, was edited by J. C. Orelli, Zürich, 1824; and his commentaries on the Metaphysica by H. Bonitz, Berlin, 1847.[7] In 1989 the first part of his On Aristotle's Metaphysics was published in English translation as part of the Ancient commentators project. Since then, other works of his have been translated into English.

- an optical phenomenon associated with rainbows

Alexander's band

Free will in antiquity

M. Bergeron, Dufour (trans., comm.), 2009. De l’Âme. Textes & Commentaires. . Paris: Librairie Philosophique J. Vrin, 2008. 416 p.  2-7116-1973-7

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R. W. Sharples, 1990, Alexander of Aphrodisias: Ethical Problems. Duckworth.  0-7156-2241-2

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W. E. Dooley, 1989, Alexander of Aphrodisias: On Aristotle Metaphysics 1. Duckworth.  0-7156-2243-9

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W. E. Dooley, A. Madigan, 1992, Alexander of Aphrodisias: On Aristotle Metaphysics 2-3. Duckworth.  0-7156-2373-7

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A. Madigan, 1993, Alexander of Aphrodisias: On Aristotle Metaphysics 4. Duckworth.  0-7156-2482-2

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W. Dooley, 1993, Alexander of Aphrodisias: On Aristotle Metaphysics 5. Duckworth.  0-7156-2483-0

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E. Lewis, 1996, Alexander of Aphrodisias: On Aristotle Meteorology 4. Duckworth.  0-7156-2684-1

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E. Gannagé, 2005, Alexander of Aphrodisias: On Aristotle On Coming-to-Be and Perishing 2.2-5. Duckworth.  0-7156-3303-1

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A. Towey, 2000, Alexander of Aphrodisias: On Aristotle On Sense Perception. Duckworth.  0-7156-2899-2

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V. Caston, 2011, Alexander of Aphrodisias: On Aristotle On the Soul. Duckworth.  0-7156-3923-4

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J. Barnes, S. Bobzien, K. Flannery, K. Ierodiakonou, 1991, Alexander of Aphrodisias: On Aristotle Prior Analytics 1.1-7. Duckworth.  0-7156-2347-8

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I. Mueller, J. Gould, 1999, Alexander of Aphrodisias: On Aristotle Prior Analytics 1.8-13. Duckworth.  0-7156-2855-0

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I. Mueller, J. Gould, 1999, Alexander of Aphrodisias: On Aristotle Prior Analytics 1.14-22. Duckworth.  0-7156-2876-3

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I. Mueller, 2006, Alexander of Aphrodisias: On Aristotle Prior Analytics 1.23-31. Duckworth.  0-7156-3407-0

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I. Mueller, 2006, Alexander of Aphrodisias: On Aristotle Prior Analytics 1.32-46. Duckworth.  0-7156-3408-9

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J. M. Van Ophuijsen, 2000, Alexander of Aphrodisias: On Aristotle Topics 1. Duckworth.  0-7156-2853-4

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R. W. Sharples, 1983, Alexander of Aphrodisias: On Fate. Duckworth.  0-7156-1739-7

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R. W. Sharples, 1992, Alexander of Aphrodisias: Quaestiones 1.1-2.15. Duckworth.  0-7156-2372-9

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R. W. Sharples, 1994, Alexander of Aphrodisias: Quaestiones 2.16-3.15. Duckworth.  0-7156-2615-9

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R. W. Sharples, 2004, Alexander of Aphrodisias: Supplement to On the Soul. Duckworth.  0-7156-3236-1

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Charles Genequand, 2001, Alexander of Aphrodisias: On the Cosmos. Brill.  90-04-11963-9

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Frede, Dorothea; Martijn, Marije. . In Zalta, Edward N. (ed.). Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy.

"Alexander of Aphrodisias"

Alexander on Information Philosopher

Scripta minora