In the Nicomachean Ethics, Aristotle suggests that a moral principle 'does not immediately appear to the man who has been corrupted by pleasure or pain'. Phantasia in Aristotle's Ethics investigates his claim and its reception in ancient and medieval Aristotelian traditions, including Arabic, Greek, Hebrew and Latin.

While contemporary commentators on the Ethics have overlooked Aristotle's remark, his ancient and medieval interpreters made substantial contributions towards a clarification of the claim's meaning and relevance. Even when the hazards of transmission have left no explicit comments on this particular passage, as is the case in the Arabic tradition, medieval responders still offer valuable interpretations of phantasia (appearance) and its role in ethical deliberation and action. This volume casts light on these readings, showing how the distant voices from the medieval Arabic, Greek, Hebrew and Latin Aristotelian traditions still contribute to contemporary debate concerning phantasia, motivation and deliberation in Aristotle's Ethics.

Contents

Introduction, Jakob Fink (University of Gothenburg, Sweden) and Jessica Moss (New York University, USA)
1. The Ancient Greek Reception of Phantasia in Aristotle's Ethics, Frans de Haas (Universiteit Leiden, The Netherlands)
2. The Arabic Tradition: With Special Emphasis on Averroes' Interpretation, Frédérique Woerther (CNRS Paris, France) and Rotraud Hansberger (Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Germany)
3. The Byzantine Tradition on EN 6.5.1140b16-17, Michele Trizio (Università di Bari, Italy)
4. The Latin Tradition: Phronesis, Phantasia and Moral Feelings, Iacopo Costa (CNRS Paris, France)
5. The Hebrew Tradition on EN 6.5.1140b16-17, Chaim Neria (University of Chicago, USA)
6. Epilogue: The Argument of EN 6.5.1140b16–17 from a Contemporary Perspective, Jakob Fink (University of Gothenburg, Sweden)

Index