Overview

This book examines the place of physical bodies, a major topic of natural philosophy that has occupied philosophers since antiquity. Aristotle's conceptions of place (topos) and the void (kenon), as expounded in the Physics, were systematically repudiated by John Philoponus (ca. 485-570) in his philosophical commentary on that work. The primary philosophical concern of the present study is the in-depth investigation of the concept of place established by Philoponus, putting forward the claim that the latter offers satisfactory solutions to problems raised by Aristotle and the Aristotelian tradition regarding the nature of place. Philoponus' account proposes a specific physical model of how physical bodies exist and move in place, and regards place as an intrinsic reality of the physical cosmos. Due to exactly this model, his account may be considered as strictly pertaining to the study of physics, thereby constituting a remarkable episode in the history of philosophy and science.

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Reviews

Overall, Papachristou’s book is a valuable contribution to the study of place, void, and extension in ancient physics in general and of Philoponus’ thought in particular. It offers readers a persuasive interpretation of Philoponus’ theory of place, adding perceptibly to our understanding of the discussion of place and void in ancient physics. Hopefully, it will stimulate further discussions of Philoponus’ notion of extension in his commentaries on Aristotle as well as in his polemical works.Maria Varlamova, Bryn Mawr Classical Review 2022.06.24

Author Information

Ioannis Papachristou holds a PhD in Philosophy from Humboldt-Universitat zu Berlin. He is a post-doctorate researcher in the Project 'Sourcebook of Byzantine Philosophy' at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens.

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