Combining Texts

All the ideas for 'fragments/reports', 'On Aristotle's Metaphysics Book 2' and 'Protrepticus (frags)'

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4 ideas

1. Philosophy / D. Nature of Philosophy / 5. Aims of Philosophy / d. Philosophy as puzzles

17949	Inquiry is the cause of philosophy [Aristotle]
	Full Idea: Inquiry is the cause of philosophy.
	From: Aristotle (Protrepticus (frags) [c.334 BCE]), quoted by Alexander Nehamas - Eristic,Antilogic,Sophistic,Dialectic p.120
	A reaction: The earlier part of the quote says philosophical thinking is inescapable (even if philosophy is impossible). I suppose we would call it 'curiosity'.

26. Natural Theory / A. Speculations on Nature / 5. Infinite in Nature

1748	Archelaus was the first person to say that the universe is boundless [Archelaus, by Diog. Laertius]
	Full Idea: Archelaus was the first person to say that the universe is boundless.
	From: report of Archelaus (fragments/reports [c.450 BCE]) by Diogenes Laertius - Lives of Eminent Philosophers 02.Ar.3

26. Natural Theory / A. Speculations on Nature / 6. Early Matter Theories / g. Atomism

20919	How can things without weight compose weight? [Alexander]
	Full Idea: How could weight come about out of things composed of what is without weight?
	From: Alexander (On Aristotle's Metaphysics Book 2 [c.200], p.36.21-27)
	A reaction: This is obviously why Epicurus added weight to the features of atoms. Alexander seems unaware of this move.

27. Natural Reality / G. Biology / 3. Evolution

5989	Archelaus said life began in a primeval slime [Archelaus, by Schofield]
	Full Idea: Archelaus wrote that life on Earth began in a primeval slime.
	From: report of Archelaus (fragments/reports [c.450 BCE]) by Malcolm Schofield - Archelaus
	A reaction: This sounds like a fairly clearcut assertion of the production of life by evolution. Darwin's contribution was to propose the mechanism for achieving it. We should honour the name of Archelaus for this idea.