Chapter III: Composition of His Extant Works

The system which was taught by Aristotle at Athens in the fourth period of his life, and which is now known as the Aristotelian philosophy, is contained not in fragments but in extant books. It will be best then to give at once a list of these extant works, following the traditional order in which they have long been arranged, and marking with a dagger ([+]) those which are now usually considered not to be genuine, though not always with sufficient reason.

A. LOGICAL

1. [Greek: Kataegoriai]: _Categoriae_: On simple expressions
signifying different kinds of things and capable of predication
[probably an early work of Aristotle, accepting species and genera as
"secondary substances" in deference to Plato's teaching].

2. [Greek: peri Hermaeneias]: _De interpretatione_: On language as
expression of mind, and especially on the enunciation or assertion
([Greek: apophansis, apophantikos logos]) [rejected by Andronicus
according to Alexander; but probably an early work of Aristotle, based
on Plato's analysis of the sentence into noun and verb].

3. [Greek: Analytika protera]: _Analytica Priora_, On syllogism, with
a view to demonstration.

4. [Greek: Analytika ustera]: _Analytica Posteriora_: On
demonstration, or demonstrative or scientific syllogism ([Greek:
apodeixis, apodeiktikos ae epistaemonilos syllogismos]).

5. [Greek: Topika]: _Topica_: On dialectical syllogism ([Greek:
Dialektikos syllogismos]), so called from consisting mainly of
commonplaces ([Greek: topoi]. _loci_), or general sources of argument.

6. [Greek: Sophistikoi elenchoi]: _Sophistici Elenchi_: On sophistic
([Greek: sophistikos]) or eristic syllogism ([Greek: eristikos
syllogismos]), so called from the fallacies used by sophists in
refutation ([Greek: elenchos]) of their opponents.

[Numbers 1-6 were afterwards grouped together as the _Organon_.]

B. PHYSICAL

1. [Greek: Physikae akroasis]: _Physica Auscultatio_: On Nature as
cause of change, and the general principles of natural science.

2. [Greek: peri ouranou]: _De coelo_: On astronomy, &c.

3. [Greek: peri geneseos kai phthoras]: _De generatione et
corruptione_: On generation and destruction in general.

4. [Greek: Meteorologika]: _Meteorologica_: On sublunary changes.

5.[+] [Greek: peri kosmou]: _De mundo_: On the universe. [Supposed by
Zeller to belong to the latter half of the 1st century B.C.]

6. [Greek: peri psyches]: _De anima_: On soul, conjoined with organic
body.

7. [Greek: peri aistheseos kai aistheton]: _De sensu et sensili_: On
sense and objects of sense.

8. [Greek: peri mnaemaes kai anamneseos]: _De memoria et
reminiscentia_: On memory and recollection.

9. [Greek: peri hypnou kai egregorseos]: _De somno et vigilia_: On
sleep and waking.

10. [Greek: peri enypnion]: _De insomniis_: On dreams.

11. [Greek: peri taes kath hypnon mantikes] or [Greek: peri mantikes
pes hen tois hypnois]: _De divinatione per somnum_: On prophecy in
sleep.

12. [Greek: peri makrobiotetos kai brachybiotetos]: _De longitudine et
brevitate vitae_: On length and shortness of life.

13. [Greek: peri neotetos kai geros kai peri zoaes kai thanatou]: _De
juventute et senectute et de vita et morte_: On youth and age, and on
life and death.

14. [Greek: peri anapnoes]: _De respiratione_: On respiration.
[Numbers 7-14 are grouped together as Parva naturalia.]

15.[+] [Greek: peri pneumatos]: _De spiritu_: On innate spirit
(_spiritus vitalis_).

16. [Greek: peri ta zoa istoriai]: _Historia animalium_: Description
of facts about animals, i.e. their organs. &c.

17. [Greek: peri zoon morion]. _De partibus animalium_: Philosophy of
the causes of the facts about animals, i.e. their functions.

18.[+] [Greek: peri zoon kineseos]: _De animalium motione_: On the
motion of animals. [Ascribed to the school of Theophrastus and Strato
by Zeller.]

19. [Greek: peri zoon poreias]: _De animalium incessu_: On the going
of animals.

20. [Greek: peri zoon geneseos]: _De animalium generatione_: On the
generation of animals.

21.[+] [Greek: peri chromaton]: _De coloribus_: On colours. [Ascribed
to the school of Theophrastus and Strato by Zeller.]

22.[+] [Greek: peri akouston]: _De audibilibus_. [Ascribed to the
school of Theophrastus and Strato by Zeller.]

23.[+] [Greek: Physiognomonika]: _Physiognomonica_: On physiognomy,
and the sympathy of body and soul.

24.[+] [Greek: peri phytos]: _De plantis_: On plants. [Not Aristotle's
work on this subject.]

25.[+] [Greek: peri thaumasion akousmatos]: _De mirabilibus
ausculationibus_: On phenomena chiefly connected with natural history.

26.[+] [Greek: Maechanica]: _Quaestiones mechanicae_: Mechanical
questions.

C. MISCELLANEOUS

1.[+] [Greek: Problaemata]: _Problemata_: Problems on various subjects
[gradually collected by the Peripatetics from partly Aristotelian
materials, according to Zeller].

2.[+] [Greek: peri atomon grammon]: _De insecabilibus lineis_: On
indivisible lines. [Ascribed to Theophrastus, or his time, by Zeller.]

3.[+] [Greek: anemos theseis kai prosaegoriai]: _Ventorum situs et
appellationes_: A fragment on the winds.

4.[+] [Greek: peri Xenophanous, peri Zaenonos, peri Gorgiou]: _De
Xenophane, Zenone et Gorgia_: On Xenophanes, Zeno and Gorgias.