Aquinas on Matter and Form and the Elements: A Translation and Interpretation of the De Principiis Naturae and the De Mixtione Elementorum of St. Thom [Hardcover]

Joseph Bobik offers a translation of AquinassDe Principiis Naturae(circa 1252) andDe Mixtione Elementorum(1273) accompanied by a continuous commentary, followed by two essays: Elements in the Composition of Physical Substances and The Elements in Aquinas and the Elements Today.The Principles of Natureintroduces the reader to the basic Aristotelian principles such as matter and form, the four causes so fundamental to Aquinass philosophy.On Mixture of the Elementsexamines the question of how the four elements (earth, air, fire, and water) remain within the physical things composed from them.

Joseph Bobik is Professor of Philosophy at the University of Notre Dame. He is the author of numerous books, includingAquinas on Being and Essence(Notre Dame Press, 1988).

This book offers a translation of AquinassDe Principiis Naturae(circa 1252) andDe Mixione Elementorum(1273) accompanied by a continuous commentary, followed by two essays: Elements in the Composition of Physical Substances and The Elements in Aquinas and the Elements Today. The unity of the volume rests in the question of the composition of natural things (whether out of matter and form, or out of the elements). . . . Bobiks translation is remarkably clear. The Review of Metaphysics

Bobik gives a quick, easily digestible translation and discussion of Aquinas physical theories, most suitable for those with a prevailing interest in the Thomistic worldview. Philosophy in Review

This work is a companion to Bobiks earlier translation and commentary on AquinassOn Being and Essence.The Principles of Natureintroduces the reader to the basic Aristotelian principles such as matter and form, the four causes so fundamental to Aquinass philosophy.On Mixture of the Elements *examines the question of how the four elements (earth, air, fire, and water) remain within the physical thinlóR