KEEPING THE MATTER IN MIND: ARISTOTLE ON THE PASSIONS AND THE SOUL

Abstract

This paper considers I) whether Aristotle's notion of form is 'compositionally plastic' and II) whether matter is in any way to be included in the form of natural things. It pursues (I) and (II) with respect to two texts only: 'De Anima' I-2's socalled definition of anger and the notorious young Socrates passage from 'Metaphysics' VII.11. Neither passage supports indusion of anything material in the form and both are consistent with compositional plasticity. To thus extent the support what I call the purification of form.