Source edition
Theophrastus. Theophrasti Eresii opera quae supersunt omnia, vol. III. Wimmer, Friedrich, editor. Leipzig: Teubner, 1862.
Source data
Open Greek and Latin · CC BY-SA 4.0
Cloned and adapted by Humanitext, with ongoing edits.
Summary
This work is a philosophical treatise that thoroughly examines the difficult questions surrounding the connection between the first principles grasped by the intellect and the sensible realm of nature. The author begins by questioning how the first principle causes the movement of heavenly bodies, exploring the multiplicity of spheres and the presence of soul within them. He then critically reviews the cosmological theories of earlier philosophers such as the Pythagoreans and Plato, analyzing how reality is divided into matter and form, and whether the first principle must possess a definite limit. Furthermore, he addresses epistemological issues, distinguishing between empirical knowledge derived from sensation and the primary principles grasped only by direct intellectual intuition, thereby pointing out the limits of searching for explanations for everything. Ultimately, the work concludes by defining the scope of teleology in nature, asserting that because the cosmos contains contingency and imperfection, the fundamental task of cosmology is to correctly demarcate the limits of the final cause and the impulse toward the best.