— Thales of MiletusReported in Aristotle, De Anima A2, 405a19, as a view attributed to Thales; approximate English rendering
Commentary
This observation, reported by Aristotle as an argument Thales is said to have offered, uses the magnetic attraction of the lodestone as evidence that matter may possess soul. Aristotle presents the argument as an early instance of attributing life to inanimate things, and he uses it to frame his own theory of soul as the principle of motion. G. S. Kirk, J. E. Raven, and M. Schofield discuss the report as a key testimony for early Greek ideas of animate matter, while noting that Aristotle's presentation is interpretive. Charles Kahn argues that the Milesian conception of a living cosmos is consistent with this kind of argument, though the magnetic example itself is not developed in the surviving fragments. Jonathan Barnes cautions that Aristotle's reconstruction of Thales' views is shaped by his own categories, and that the argument should be read with that in mind. W. K. C. Guthrie treats the lodestone example as a clear case of early physical reasoning. The English is an approximation of Aristotle's paraphrase, and the Greek should be consulted before quotation.
Commentary
This observation, reported by Aristotle as an argument Thales is said to have offered, uses the magnetic attraction of the lodestone as evidence that matter may possess soul. Aristotle presents the argument as an early instance of attributing life to inanimate things, and he uses it to frame his own theory of soul as the principle of motion. G. S. Kirk, J. E. Raven, and M. Schofield discuss the report as a key testimony for early Greek ideas of animate matter, while noting that Aristotle's presentation is interpretive. Charles Kahn argues that the Milesian conception of a living cosmos is consistent with this kind of argument, though the magnetic example itself is not developed in the surviving fragments. Jonathan Barnes cautions that Aristotle's reconstruction of Thales' views is shaped by his own categories, and that the argument should be read with that in mind. W. K. C. Guthrie treats the lodestone example as a clear case of early physical reasoning. The English is an approximation of Aristotle's paraphrase, and the Greek should be consulted before quotation.