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9780813230412

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"""This is a book I wish to own. It is an acutely discerning and crystal-clear account--not easy but very rewarding reading--of 'natural-kind realism, ' the notion of kinds that exist independently of our thinking, from its Aristotelian highpoint to its demise. It is historically presented, that is, by an analysis of its concept and its successive consequences. One most remarkable aspect is that Umphrey's exposition employs the analytic terminology of contemporary philosophy, but so deftly that, on retranslation into the original texts, it proves true to its sources. Highly recommended!""--Eva Brann, author of The Aristotelian Tradition of Natural Kinds and Its Demise""Stewart Umphrey's The Aristotelian Tradition of Natural Kinds & Its Demise is a rare treat in recent work in the History of Ideas: an attempt to carefully follow a set of concepts (plus their various consequences) through numerous traditions and across more than two millennia. While not attempting to be exhaustive, it traces the often conflicting notions of 'kind' (type, species, etc.) and 'origin' (genesis) from the ancient Greek poets to Darwin. Philosophers, Historians of Ideas, and Historians of Science who are willing to seriously confront an 'Internalist' approach should find Umphrey's contribution to an important aspect of the history of natural philosophy stimulating and provocative.""--Doren Recker, Oklahoma State University"

This is a book I wish to own. It is an acutely discerning and crystal-clear account--not easy but very rewarding reading--of 'natural-kind realism, ' the notion of kinds that exist independently of our thinking, from its Aristotelian highpoint to its demise. It is historically presented, that is, by an analysis of its concept and its successive consequences. One most remarkable aspect is that Umphrey's exposition employs the analytic terminology of contemporary philosophy, but so deftly that, on retranslation into the original texts, it proves true to its sources. Highly recommended! --Eva Brann, author of The Aristotelian Tradition of Natural Kinds and Its Demise Stewart Umphrey's The Aristotelian Tradition of Natural Kinds & Its Demise is a rare treat in recent work in the History of Ideas: an attempt to carefully follow a set of concepts (plus their various consequences) through numerous traditions and across more than two millennia. While not attempting to be exhaustive, it traces the often conflicting notions of 'kind' (type, species, etc.) and 'origin' (genesis) from the ancient Greek poets to Darwin. Philosophers, Historians of Ideas, and Historians of Science who are willing to seriously confront an 'Internalist' approach should find Umphrey's contribution to an important aspect of the history of natural philosophy stimulating and provocative. --Doren Recker, Oklahoma State University

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Stewart Umprhey is a tutor emeritus at St. John's College, Annapolis, MD.

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