This article argues that “philosophy” is a tradition which constantly redefines itself, and which, consequently, resists universal definition. Philosophy is, ultimately, whatever philosophers think it is. This discussion suggests that the most reasonable way of dealing with the vagueness of the term “Byzantine philosophy” is to focus on those Byzantine texts and authors which most closely relate to the concerns of other, more generally recognized, philosophical texts and authors. It starts by sketching a historical overview of Greek philosophy in the (...) Middle Ages and then presents some philosophical issues in logic, epistemology, metaphysics, and natural philosophy in which Byzantine philosophers engaged. (shrink)

This book investigates Aristotelian psychology through his works and commentaries on them, including De Sensu, De Memoria and De Somno et Vigilia. Authors present original research papers inviting readers to consider the provenance of Aristotelian ideas and interpretations of them, on topics ranging from reality to dreams and spirituality. Aristotle’s doctrine of the ‘common sense’, his notion of transparency and the generation of colours are amongst the themes explored. Chapters are presented chronologically, enabling the reader to trace influences across the (...) boundaries of linguistic traditions. Commentaries from historical figures featured in this work include those of Michael of Ephesus, Albert the Great and Gersonides’. Discoveries in 9th-century Arabic adaptations, Byzantine commentaries and Renaissance paraphrases of Aristotle’s work are also presented. The editors’ introduction outlines the main historical developments of the themes discussed, preparing the reader for the cross-cultural and interdisciplinary perspectives presented in this work. Scholars of philosophy and psychology and those with an interest in Aristotelianism will highly value the original research that is presented in this work. The introduction and Chapter 4 of this book are open access under a CC BY 4.0 license via link.springer.com. (shrink)