Edward Engelmann

Nature and the Artificial (eBook, PDF)

Aristotelian Reflections on the Operative Imperative

• Format: PDF

Produktbeschreibung

For years now much attention has been given to the phenomenon of the artificial. Speculation regarding "what is real?" abounds in the sciences, literature, as well as films and other visual arts. This work presents the first critical, sustained, philosophical study on this topic. Nature and the Artificial: Aristotelian Reflections on the Operative Imperative reveals the inner logic of the artificial by reflecting it off the metaphysical relationship between nature and techne as conceived by Aristotle and Thomas Aquinas. During early modernity, figures such as Descartes and Bacon transformed this understanding, giving rise to the notion of the "operative imperative." Nature and techne, for the Aristotelian tradition and for us, can only be understood in terms of their dialectical relationship to one another. Aristotle articulates this relationship with the phrase "techne imitates nature." With the operative imperative, however, a certain reversal takes place, whereby techne becomes the paradigm for nature. As Ed Engelmann demonstrates, the operative imperative, together with the phenomenon of the artificial it implies, stands to Aristotelian metaphysics of nature as image is to original. Anyone who believes that the rise of the artificial in our civilization needs the intensive study it deserves-as well as those who are seeking innovative insights into Aristotelian tradition-will want to read this book.

Produktdetails

• Verlag: Bloomsbury eBooks US
• Seitenzahl: 184
• Erscheinungstermin: 21. März 2017
• Englisch
• ISBN-13: 9798216336938
• Artikelnr.: 74397213

Autorenporträt

Edward M. Engelmann teaches philosophy at Merrimack College and Bridgewater State University.

Inhaltsangabe

Chapter 1. Second Acts, Expressive Causality, and Ontological Dependence in
the Aristotelian Tradition Chapter 2. Second Acts and Ontological
Unification Chapter 3. Theoria and Scientific Demonstration in Aristotle
Chapter 4. Aquinas and Duns Scotus on Creation and Things Created Chapter
5. Mechanism, Substance, and Causality in the Seventeenth Century Chapter
6. Techne in Aristotle and the Autonomous Artifact Chapter 7. The Operative
Intentional Orientation in Early Modernism Chapter 8. Computational Theory
and the Autonomous Artifact Chapter 9. The Rise of the Artificial