Aristotle's Gradations of Being In Metaphysics E-Z

by Joseph Owens

Aristotle's Gradations of Being was edited from the papers of the late Joseph Owens. Some fifty years after his groundbreaking book, The Doctrine of Being in the Aristotelian Metaphysics, Owens turned again to consider the central themes in Aristotle's conception of a science of being or "first philosophy." Reflecting on a half-century of scholarship, and drawing on his own extensive publications in Greek and medieval philosophy, Owens sets forth in a step-by-step meticulous argument his own interpretation of Aristotle's account of substance, essence, and the gradations of being. Owens writes extensively of the different but complementary approaches of Aristotle and Thomas Aquinas.He discusses the many facets of the Aristotelian notion of "form," including its role in a realistic epistemology. This monograph, edited by Owens's colleague and former pupil, Lloyd P. Gerson, includes a complete bibliography of Owens's writings as well as works critical of Owens's readings of ancient and medieval philosophers. It will serves as an excellent introduction to one of the most influential interpretations of the Aristotelian metaphysical tradition of the past century.About the Joseph Owens, C.SS.R., was professor of philosophy at the University of Toronto and the Pontifical Institute of Medieval Studies

Genres: Philosophy

236 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2006

About the author

Joseph Owens (April 17, 1908 – October 30, 2005) was a Canadian Roman Catholic priest and a philosopher specializing in the thought of Aristotle, Thomas Aquinas, and medieval philosophy.

Reviews

[Joseph Yue · Rating 3 out of 5]

The cover of this book is deceptively alluring with a title suggesting fascinating content and a famous Thomist philosopher as author to vouch for its quality. Unfortunately, however, all of these are but a pretty façade.

First, strictly speaking, the author of this book is not Fr. Joseph Owens, even though he contributed all of the essays. Rather, this is a posthumously edited collection of his unpublished essays, and there is little internal connection amongst the essays except that they are all about the central books of Metaphysics.

Secondly, I don't know what exactly went into the editing process, but the texts are poorly structured, without clear themes and sections, which makes decoding this already arcane subject even more laborious. Large portions of the text go back and forth, sometimes repeatedly making the same point in different expressions without an adequate summary. Insights were indeed gained through the reading process, but I doubt whether the hours poured into teasing them out are worth it.

The first essay is probably the most inspiring one in which it is demonstrated that Aristotle's failure to conceptually separate essence and existence leads to his distorted vision of the Unmoved Mover as an essentially limited being. Other essays do not so much offer ground-shaking ideas.

Overall, this is a book difficult to appreciate, and I wouldn't recommend it to anyone who has not been initiated into the *Thomistic secret*... One may try to read it nevertheless, in that case at least it will be time well wasted.

[David Haines · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an amazing commentary on Aristotle's Metaphysics E-Z with the purpose of explaining Aristotle's notions of the gradations of being. Owen's explains the role and function of "form" in Aristotle's philosophy, and shows how it relates to "being", "universality", "unity", etc. This is an important read for anybody who wishes to understand Aristotle's philosophical system.

[Justin · Rating 3 out of 5]

The work is repetitive enough to make some sense.