Aristotle on Memory and Recollection

Text, Translation, Interpretation, and Reception in Western Scholasticism

Bibliographic Data

ID9403345
AuthorsHelen S Lang (corresponding author), Helen Lang
Year2008
Volume2
Issue2
Pages216-218
Publication date2008-01-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueThe International Journal of the Platonic Tradition (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1872-5082 • E-ISSN: 1872-5473
PublisherBrill (PUBLISHER • NL)
DOI10.1163/187254708x358688
OpenAlexW2063499454
LanguageEN
Citations received8

Th is book, which "was originally a doctoral dissertation submitted to the Faculty of Humanities, University of Copenhagen, in 2006", consists of several parts.(1) Beyond the Acknowledgments and Preface, Bloch provides a new edition and translation of Aristotle's de ; the book concludes with a series of textual notes for this chapter (Chapter 5,.(2) Bloch provides an extended essay on Aristotle's conception of memory and recollection that considers Aristotle's own view, modern treatments of this topic, i.e., memory, and their differences from Aristotle, and an analysis of "'Memory' Words in the Rest of the Corpus Aristotelicum" (pp.53-135).( 3) Th e final substantive chapter reviews the history of "Aristotle's Th eories of Memory and Recollection in the Latin West (pp.137-228).A bibliography (pp.245-254) and three indices (pp.255-276) complete the volume.(1) Bloch makes a persuasive case that a new edition of this work is in order and provides a clear account of the manuscripts he uses and the principles he follows (pp.1-19).(A stemma Codicum is included in the back cover of the book.)He also explains the principles of his new English translation: "Th e English translation that accompanies the text is meant as an aid to understanding the Greek text; it is not a literal translation in the usual sense of 'literal', and it certainly will not find favour with all scholars . . .What I strive for in all cases is to reproduce both the content and the style of the treatise, but if both cannot be done . .., I focus attention primarily on the content" (p.18).Th e text and translation are on facing pages, as too are two sets of notes: a critical apparatus appears below the Greek text and a series of notes, alternate translations, and references to other texts below the English translation.Th e textual notes at the end of the volume further bolster the details of the decisions noted in both these sets of notes and, as far as they go, are very useful.Disagreements in such matters are, perhaps, inevitable; but this text and translation seem superior to anything currently available and make this volume a significant contribution to scholarship in this area.Th e accompanying notes further enhance the value of this volume as a working part of any library on Aristotle.(2) Bloch makes the aims of his investigation clear: to establish Aristotle's views concerning memory and recollection and to ask what follows from his views for our own contemporary concerns.(p.54) His investigation begins with remarks on the importance of memory as a topic and the place of the de Memoria within the Aristotelian corpus.(pp.55-58) Th e latter is important for several reasons, most particularly that Bloch has "assumed without argument one single but essential

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