Du De motu à la Génération des animaux. Une connexion oubliée du corpus aristotélicien
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.47661/afcl.v12i24.25974Keywords:
Aristotle, agent, animal, automaton, biology, finality, generation, motor, movement, necessity, patientAbstract
At first sight, Generation of animalsand Movement of animalsmeet only on particular points, and their convergence seems to be accidental. However, further investigations show that GAand MAare deeply connected. Three points deserve a particular attention. (1) The last lines of MAannounce GA’s project as the following part of a common scientific agenda. (2) Both treatises have recourse to the mechanical model of automatic puppets, in order to explain the dynamic processes they deal with (in MA: the spontaneous modification of parts which explains local motion; in GA: the persisting power of the generative mover during the process of generation). (3) In both cases, the agent-patient relation plays a fundamental role and it is set out in very similar terms. In conclusion, without formulating any hypothesis about the chronological order of the treatises, one may assume that MA(at least partly) and GAbelong to the same agenda: the explanation of the inner (or organic) movements of the animal, and especially the analysis of the relation between mover and moved. It appears, finally, that both treatises have in common a conception of organic unity, which is not jeopardized by the inner distinction between mover and moved.References
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