The Divine Thinking Plan: Aristotle on the Prime Mover as Active Thinking in Metaphysics Λ 6-7 and 9

FABIAN MIE

Santa Fe

Workshop; VI Workshop sobre la filosofía de Aristóteles; 2023

Universidad Nacional del Litoral

Aristotle claims in Met. Λ6-9 that (1) there is a prime mover (Λ6-7), and that (2) this substance is unmoved and an intellect (Λ7) which, in a way, (2a) is the same as the intelligible (1072b21), and (2b) it is active or just active thinking (not the exercise of a capacity or the actualization of a potentiality). In a climax of Λ9 (1074b33-35), such active feature seems to be explained by a peculiar reflexive character of the prime mover’s thinking, which is thinking of thinking. Besides many particular problems with the claims and the arguments of Λ6-7 and 9, a common view on these chapters state that the conception of nous (intellect or thought) in Λ9 disregards especially the energeia (activity or actuality) feature, which is prominent in Λ6-7. With this, the causal role of the prime mover regarding the heavens, which is central to these two chapters, would be left out of the theory of intellect in Λ9. Thus, the problem of the relationship between Λ6-7 and 9 (briefly addressed by Judson) revolves around explaining how the prime mover’s peculiar causality as the unmoved mover of the heavens can be related to its being essentially active thinking and thinking of itself. This is the main problem I aim to address here. I will concentrate on an examination of the argument of these chapters. My thesis will be that, if we make clear that the thinking of thinking does not deprive the divine thinking of a substantive content, which coincides with the divine intellect not merely by accident, we will be in a position to better understanding the prime mover’s specific causality as the object of desire and thought (1072a26). If so, it can be made plausible that Λ9 works together with Λ6-7 on the same plan, and that the three chapters are complementary reflections that feature in a coherent theory of the divine intellect crowing the argument of the entire book.