Scribe: Diane
Tang
These minutes were not
spoken; for another version, go to the spoken minutes
Prof.
Hutchinson began the lecture by returning briefly into the Islamic age and made
a historical connection. He said
that much Ancient philosophy was centered in Alexandria, an Egyptian city founded
by Alexander, with the most important library in the world. Important studies were made at
Alexandria, mostly by Islamic.
Their studies focused not so much on the First philosophers whereas it
focused on Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle. Both Christianity and Islamic translated work of the great
philosopher but both of their central point of reference was Aristotle.
Most ancient knowledge work
was forgotten in the dark ages. Aristotle is a star over the ages; he who
sometimes widely studies rose and fell; however unlike Plato, who always had a
bright star. Prof. Hutchinson then
went on to read a poem from an early Islamic philosopher, Ali ibn Abi Talib:
Remember, Kumayl, knowledge is better than wealth
because knowledge protects you while you have to guard wealth. Wealth decreases if you spend it, but
the more you spend knowledge the more it increases. What you get through wealth disappears as soon as the wealth
disappears, but what you achieve through knowledge will remain even after you.
O Kumayl! Knowledge
is power and it can command obedience.
A man of knowledge during his lifetime can make people obey and follow
him and he is praised and venerated after his death. Remember that knowledge is a ruler and wealth is its subject.
O Kumayl! Those who
amass wealth, though alive, are dead to realities of life, and those who
achieve knowledge, will remain alive through their knowledge and wisdom even
after their death, though their faces may disappear from the community of living
beings, yet their ideas, the knowledge which they had left behind and their
memory, will remain in the minds of people.
Ali ibn Abi Talib, The Peak of Eloquence, aphorism #146, tr. anon.
Prof.
Hutchinson went on to make a close connection with Arabic sage and the Invitation
to Philosophy by Aristotle. The passage referring to drinking on page 18 is
where the professor made us aware that it is seriously difficult to refer to
the original text in Duning’s edition. This is because they are tiny
fragments that have been cut down and put together as one big fragment. This is when Prof. Hutchinson intervene
the class to show us how to make a proper reference to this text, e.g.: Aristotle,
Invitation to Philosophy, apud (according to) Iamblichus Protrepticus
88, ed. des Places). Prof. Hutchinson then showed us a photocopied page from
the text of Aristotle. He then told
us to notice that this form of reference (e.g. 178b24-26) is standardly used by
modern scholars.
Prof.
Hutchinson then continued explaining the thoughts in the two paragraphs on page
18 of the Invitation of Aristotle.
Prof. Hutchinson found that there was a curious claim made by
Aristotle. He said that people who
study philosophy are truly alive.
However in the Phaedo, Socrates in section 64b makes an odd claim
that philosopher are closer to the dead rather than the living. Because philosophers hang around dark
and weird places, and have strange ideas, this is why people think that
philosopher would be closer to death. Aristotle by contrast wants to claim that
those true philosophers are alive.
Referring
back to the passage from the Invitation to philosophy, Prof. Hutchinson brought up the idea of
enjoyment in itself. Other people
who don’t pursue wisdom are not actually enjoying their lives. Only a few people have the knowledge of
living. People enjoy themselves
while they are alive but according to Aristotle you need enjoyment in itself.
Again, any perfect and unimpeded activity has it
enjoyment in itself; hence the activity of contemplation would be the most
pleasant of all. Further, there is a difference between enjoying oneself while
drinking and enjoying drinking; for there is nothing to stop a man who is not thirsty,
or is not getting the drink he enjoys, from enjoying himself while drinking,
not because he is drinking but because he happens at the same time to be seeing
or being seen as he sits there. So
we shall say that such a man enjoys himself, and enjoys himself while drinking,
by not that he enjoys himself because he is drinking, not that he is enjoying
drinking. So then in the same way
we shall say that walking, sitting, learning, or any activity, is pleasant or
painful, not because we happen to feel pain or pleasure in their presence, but
because we are all pained or pleased by their presence. So, similarly, we shall call that life
pleasant whose presence is pleasant to those who have it; and we shall say that
not all who happen to enjoy life are living pleasently, only those to whom
living is itself pleasant and enjoy the pleasure that comes from life.
Aristotle, Invitation to
Philosophy, ap. Iamblichus Protrepticus 88, ed. des Places
Then
a student asked a question: ‘what about the value of creating artistic
things?’ Prof. Hutchinson
then proceeded to answer the question and gave two answers. The first of which he explained that philosophy is a narrow
subject. And that the Ancient world is comprised of everything, all learned in
different sizes. This included
things that were taught in other department not just on one subject. Now a days it is arguable that modern
art expresses truth. Aristotle
believed that creative art was created by artisans who were thought to be of
lower class, (as was the case until the Italian renaissance). But now it is the contrary, artists are
held to be intellectuals, and have a higher status. This would be a concept
that Aristotle would not understand, because it only occurred a few centuries
ago.
The
root of the word theoretical, is Theoria.
It is important to be clear that in NE Book 10, Aristotle specifies that
what is best is not to find out the truth, but to enjoy as awareness of
it. The research done was not to
find the truth, but to enjoy it. To have within oneself the vision of how reality
is structured. Scientist in the
Modern period on the contrary aim at producing more and more useless
facts. To have and gain knowledge
is the end, but Aristotle never stopped gaining it. Prof. Hutchinson then again referred to the Government and
how Mr. Harris’s main idea of society, is to produce more
millionaires.
A student commented and said that Aristotle was satisfied, but kept
looking. He enjoys the truth to
keep going . He enjoyed the research.
Then Prof. Hutchinson added to this comment by saying that Aristotle
argues that philosophy is easier than other subjects, but this argument itself
is very hard. ( Invitation, 68/69)
Aristotle says in NE Book 10 that an advantage to philosophy is that you
don’t need much, just a lot
of time, friends, and occasionally dinner.
A
student then asked a question if philosophy was just for the high class? Prof. Hutchinson then reply that The
Invitation of Philosophy is rhetoric, that it is the battle of the
books. Aristotle as well as Isocrates
replies must be in general terms because they wanted philosophy to be a
privilege to know. Isocrates
wanted to make aware that philosophy is a privilege for its audience. Again, rhetorical stresses that the
philosophy written is to be able to satisfy every soul who would read it. There is also a theme that comes up in
every piece of work.
The
theme in Physics Book 2 chap 1-8 is of nature that is always doing
something at random. In the
reading it explains the causes of nature.
First, Prof. Hutchinson explained to the class that physics is often
misleading. This is because quite
frequently people associate physics with calculus and mathematics. Informing us that in the 17th
century, Sir Isaac Newton was the Chair of natural philosophy of
Cambridge. Professor then went on
to say that physics in a broad sense is a science. Therefore not only did Newton associate himself with the
sciences but also with the arts.
Aristotle did a study of nature, he studied the reason of natural philosophy.
He had four material elements: earth,
fire, air, and water. This is when
Aristotle came to comprise his work and agree, accepts and adopts Plato’s
view of astronomy. Aristotle held
that the cosmic region above the moon was not liable to change. But up to the level of the moon where
the changes occur is what Aristotle wanted to explain.
Aristotle’s
doctrine of the four kinds of cause has proven to be potentially misleading;
this is the classic statement of it.
In one way, then, that out of which a thing comes to be and
which persists, is called a cause, e.g. the bronze of the statue, the silver of
the bowl, and the genera of which the bronze and the silver are species. In another way, the form or the
archetype, i.e. the definition of what the thing is, and its genera, are called
causes (e.g. the relation of 2:1, and generally number, is the cause of the
octave), and the parts of the definition.
Again, the primary source of the change or rest; is called a cause e.g.
the man who deliberated is a cause, the father is cause of the child, and
generally what makes of what is made and what alters is a cause of what is
altered.
(Physics, Book II, chap 3, 194b23-32)
If there is a correct
explanation it must take one of the following four forms. Not that there are four causes. The breach effect would come into play
because not all events need four causes. It can be one or more of the four.
Things
in events can be explained in different ways. Prof. Hutchinson used an example of his little boy asking
him “ Daddy why is that a dog?”. He then continued and explained
that there are different causes and can be explained in different ways. Then he went on that say that there are
purposes all over in life.
Aristotle says that things are for certain purposes. Plato’s view is that the purposes
we find in the natural world all have a reference to human beings; Aristotle by
contrast, discovered purposes in nature, too, but generally these purposes are
phenomena in organisms. This
serves purposes of that organism itself.