Aristotle's Theory of Material Substance Heat and Pneuma, Form and Soul [Paperback]

This book offers an original new account of one of Aristotle's central doctrines. Freudenthal He recreates from Aristotle's writings a more complete theory of material substance which is able to explain the problematical areas of the way matter organizes itself and the persistence of matter, to show that the hitherto ignored concept of vital heat is as central in explaining material substance as soul or form.

Introduction; 1. Vital Heat in the Physico-Physiological Theory of Persistence and of Higher Soul Functions; 2. The Roots of Aristotle's Vital Heat: TheDe Philosophiaand Kindred Presocratic Doctrines; 3. Soul, Vital Heat, and ConnatePneuma; 4. The Chemistry of Cohesion and of Decay; Conclusion; Bibliography; Indexes

This bold and vigorous study contributes greatly to the growing body of work on the essential connections between Aristotle's biology and central issues in his metaphysics and psychology....Comprehensive and lucidly argued. --Choice

Freudenthal's work is sophisticated and highly technical. It will be of use to the serious student of Aristotelian hylo-morphism, as well as to the historian of science. --Religious Studies Review