Current Projects

Current Research Projects

1. Philosophical issues in Aristotle's Meteorology 4

Currently, I am working on a series of papers (in various stages of completion) that try to investigate - and resolve - a variety of philosophical issues in Book 4 of Aristotle's Meteorology. 

This text - which has been largely neglected, perhaps in part due to 20th century questions about its authenticity - is of interest not only due to its implications for Aristotle's biology, but also because it provides one of a few places in which Aristotle investigates inanimate compounds in their own right. 

Some of the issues that I am working on include Aristotle's conceptions of moisture, dryness, and dispositional qualities; his accounts of solidification and melting (and their distinction from processes such as mixing), and the extent of teleological explanation involved in non-biological processes. 

2. Monograph: Aristotle's Sublunary Elements 

I am working on a monograph (slowly but surely) that develops a comprehensive interpretation of Aristotle's four sublunary elements - fire, air, water, and earth - as they are discussed within Aristotle's natural philosophy. 

My project has two goals.  First, I hope to show that Aristotle has a single, consistent view of sublunary elements across multiple texts.  It is sometimes thought that On Generation and Corruption 2 and De Caelo 4 (and its companion, Physics 8.4) have incompatible accounts of the sublunary elements; I propose that the two accounts can be harmonised.  Second, I defend the claim that sublunary elements differ from other substances because they cannot survive changes to their qualities, quantitative features, or proper places: substantial change and locomotion (to and from a determinate proper place) are the only changes that they can endure. 

3. Other projects, some ongoing for years now: