Abstract

SEGGIARO, Claudia. Platonic echoes in the 33-36 fragments of Aristotle’s Protrepticus. arete [online]. 2011, vol.23, n.2, pp.399-422. ISSN 1016-913X.

The aim of this paper is to examine the series of fragments 33-36 of the Protrepticus under the light of a possible Platonic influence. Our thesis is that, despite the fact that the definition of science as the knowledge of causes and the identification of these with the principles of reality is an essential conception of Platonism, the fact that we find in the Protrepticus the influence of this conception does not allow us to infer that Aristotle is referring there to the Platonic Ideas or to the ideal numbers defended by his teacher whether it be in his exoteric work or his oral teachings. From our perspective, even though it seems undeniable that, at the time when he wrote the Protrepticus, Aristotle nourished from some of the main Platonic theses, theses which will determine the way in which he understands reality, it is also undeniable that Aristotle held a critical stand in front of some of the conceptions defended in the nucleus of the Academy.

Keywords : Protrepticus; Aristotle; Plato; Theory of Ideas; principles.

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