Editing Alexander of Aphrodisias (section)

===Original treatises===
There are also several extant original writings by Alexander. These include: ''On the Soul'', ''Problems and Solutions'', ''Ethical Problems'', ''On Fate'', and ''On Mixture and Growth''.<ref name="zeyl"/> Three works attributed to him are considered spurious: ''Medical Questions'', ''Physical Problems'', and ''On Fevers''.<ref name="zeyl"/> Additional works by Alexander are preserved in [[Arabic language|Arabic]] translation, these include: ''On the Principles of the Universe'',<ref>Charles Genequand, (2001), ''Alexander of Aphrodisias: On the Cosmos''. BRILL</ref> ''On Providence'', and ''Against [[Galen]] on Motion''.<ref>N. Rescher, M. E. Marmura, (1965), ''The Refutation by Alexander of Aphrodisias of Galen's Treatise on the Theory of Motion''. Islamic Research Institute</ref>

''On the Soul'' (''De anima'') is a treatise on the [[Soul (spirit)|soul]] written along the lines suggested by Aristotle in his own ''[[On the Soul|De anima]]''.<ref>Gerd Van Riel, 2010, ''Ancient Perspectives on Aristotle's de Anima'', page 174. Leuven University Press</ref> Alexander contends that the undeveloped reason in man is material (''nous hylikos'') and inseparable from the body.<ref name="eb1911"/> He argued strongly against the doctrine of the soul's immortality.<ref name="eb1911"/> He identified the active intellect (''nous poietikos''), through whose agency the potential intellect in man becomes actual, with [[God]].<ref name="eb1911"/> A second book is known as the ''Supplement to On the Soul'' (''Mantissa''). The ''Mantissa'' is a series of twenty-five separate pieces of which the opening five deal directly with [[psychology]].<ref name="todd18">Robert B. Todd, (1976), ''Alexander of Aphrodisias on Stoic physics: a study of the De Mixtione with Preliminary Essays, Text, Translation and Commentary'', page 18. BRILL</ref> The remaining twenty pieces cover problems in [[physics]] and [[ethics]], of which the largest group deals with questions of [[visual perception|vision]] and [[light]], and the final four with [[destiny|fate]] and [[Divine Providence|providence]].<ref name="todd18"/> The ''Mantissa'' was probably not written by Alexander in its current form, but much of the actual material may be his.<ref>"The two books of the ''De Anima'' differ markedly in form and content, and they were not originally a single work. Book I is generally recognized as authentic. Book II is almost certainly not by Alexander of Aphrodisias in its present form, though much of the material may be his or from his school." {{cite journal|last1=Cranz|first1=F. Edward|title=Alexander Aphrodisiensis|journal=[[Catalogus Translationum et Commentariorum]]|date=1960|volume=1|page=84|url=http://catalogustranslationum.org/PDFs/volume01/v01_alexander.pdf |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009/http://catalogustranslationum.org/PDFs/volume01/v01_alexander.pdf |archive-date=2022-10-09 |url-status=live|access-date=27 August 2015}}</ref>

''Problems and Solutions'' (''Quaestiones'') consists of three books which, although termed "problems and solutions of physical questions," treat of subjects which are not all physical, and are not all problems.<ref name="todd19">Robert B. Todd, (1976), ''Alexander of Aphrodisias on Stoic physics: a study of the De Mixtione with Preliminary Essays, Text, Translation and Commentary'', page 19. BRILL</ref> Among the sixty-nine items in these three books, twenty-four deal with physics, seventeen with psychology, eleven with [[logic]] and [[metaphysics]], and six with questions of fate and providence.<ref name="todd19"/> It is unlikely that Alexander wrote all of the ''Quaestiones'', some may be Alexander's own explanations, while others may be exercises by his students.<ref>R. W. Sharples, 1992, ''Alexander of Aphrodisias: Quaestiones 1.1-2.15'', pages 3-4. Duckworth.</ref>

''Ethical Problems'' was traditionally counted as the fourth book of the ''Quaestiones''.<ref name="todd19"/> The work is a discussion of ethical issues based on Aristotle, and contains responses to questions and problems deriving from Alexander's school.<ref name="tuominen">Miira Tuominen, (2009), ''The ancient commentators on Plato and Aristotle'', page 237. University of California Press</ref> It is likely that the work was not written by Alexander himself, but rather by his pupils on the basis of debates involving Alexander.<ref name="tuominen"/>

''On Fate'' is a treatise in which Alexander argues against the [[Stoicism|Stoic]] doctrine of necessity.<ref name="eb1911"/> In ''On Fate'' Alexander denied three things - necessity ({{lang|grc|ἀνάγκη}}), the foreknowledge of fated events that was part of the Stoic identification of God and Nature, and [[determinism]] in the sense of a sequence of causes that was laid down beforehand ({{lang|grc|προκαταβεβλημένα αἴτια}}) or predetermined by antecedents ({{lang|grc|προηγούμενα αἴτια}}). He defended a view of moral responsibility we would call [[Libertarianism (metaphysics)|libertarianism]] today.<ref>[http://www.informationphilosopher.com/solutions/philosophers/alexander/ Alexander of Aphrodisias]</ref>

''On Mixture and Growth'' discusses the topic of [[mixture]] of physical bodies.<ref name="toddix">Robert B. Todd, (1976), ''Alexander of Aphrodisias on Stoic physics: a study of the De Mixtione with Preliminary Essays, Text, Translation and Commentary'', page ix. BRILL</ref> It is both an extended discussion (and polemic) on [[Stoic physics]], and an exposition of Aristotelian thought on this theme.<ref name="toddix"/>

''On the Principles of the Universe'' is preserved in Arabic translation. This treatise is not mentioned in surviving Greek sources, but it enjoyed great popularity in the Muslim world, and a large number of copies have survived.<ref>Charles Genequand, (2001), ''Alexander of Aphrodisias: On the Cosmos'', page 1. BRILL</ref> The main purpose of this work is to give a general account of Aristotelian cosmology and metaphysics, but it also has a polemical tone, and it may be directed at rival views within the Peripatetic school.<ref>Charles Genequand, (2001), ''Alexander of Aphrodisias: On the Cosmos'', page 4. BRILL</ref> Alexander was concerned with filling the gaps of the Aristotelian system and smoothing out its inconsistencies, while also presenting a unified picture of the world, both physical and ethical.<ref name="genequand6">Charles Genequand, (2001), ''Alexander of Aphrodisias: On the Cosmos'', page 6. BRILL</ref> The topics dealt with are the nature of the heavenly motions and the relationship between the unchangeable celestial realm and the [[Sublunary sphere|sublunar world]] of generation and decay.<ref name="genequand6"/> His principal sources are the ''[[Physics (Aristotle)|Physics]]'' (book 7), ''[[Metaphysics (Aristotle)|Metaphysics]]'' (book 12), and the [[Pseudo-Aristotle|Pseudo-Aristotelian]] ''[[On the Universe]]''.<ref name="genequand6"/>

''On Providence'' survives in two Arabic versions.<ref name="sharples">Robert W. Sharples, "The Peripatetic school", in David Furley (editor), (2003), ''From Aristotle to Augustine'', pages 159-160. Routledge</ref> In this treatise, Alexander opposes the Stoic view that [[divine Providence]] extends to all aspects of the world; he regards this idea as unworthy of the gods.<ref name="sharples"/> Instead, providence is a power that emanates from the heavens to the sublunar region, and is responsible for the generation and destruction of earthly things, without any direct involvement in the lives of individuals.<ref name="sharples"/>