Meteorology (Aristotle)

Despite its ancient origins, Meteorologica was the basis for all modern day meteorology texts throughout Western Civilization up to the 17th century.

Scholars such as Anaxagoras derived many of their theories on inferences, strongly basing their discoveries on observations rather than fact.

[2] This was translated into Latin by Gerard of Cremona in the 12th century – and by this means, during the Twelfth-century Renaissance, entered the Western European world of medieval scholasticism.

(339a16-19) Fire, air, water, earth, we assert, originate from one another, and each of them exists potentially in each, as all things do that can be resolved into a common and ultimate substrate.

Aristotle explains this in terms of the four primary contrary qualities, heat, cold, dryness, and moisture (Meteorology book 4 chapter 7); the first two being active causes and the latter being the underlying matter (378b10).

Compositions of the elements in things like milk, blood, flesh, or metals will include both earth and water, and sometimes air.

The theory of elements was meant to replace the Atomism of Democritus (which Aristotle refuted in On Generation and Corruption and De Caelo).

The elements are not, therefore, tiny building blocks like atoms, but rather the constitutive properties (i.e. contraries) of the simple bodies (fire, air, water, earth) found in sense-perception.

Books 1-3 of Meteorology apply a method of explanation (contrary qualities) which explains different phenomena as an interaction of forces in a natural system (relations of agent and patient, potency, and activity).

This is a practical application of Aristotle's theory of distillation and that the rain cycle is some sort of natural distallation, without having said the word (Book 1, Chapter 9).

One reason for this is that it rises from hollow and watery places, so that the heat that is raising it, bearing as it were too heavy a burden cannot lift it to a great height but soon lets it fall again.

It moves things by its wind in the direction in which it is blowing in a straight line, and whirls round by its circular motion and forcibly snatches up whatever it meets.

Refutation of these findings by Hippocrates of Chios and Aeschylus Ch.7 Comets, their nature and causes Ch.8 The Milky Way, including Aristotle's new theory Ch.9 The formation of rain, mist, and clouds Ch.10 Dew and hoar-frost Ch.11 Rain, snow, hail and their connection to hoar-frost Ch.12 Hail, why it occurs in the summer and disputing Anaxagoras' theories Ch.13 Winds, formation of rivers Ch.14 Climatic changes and coast erosion The following is the table of contents of the second book: Ch.

[8] The fourth book consists of a detailed investigation of organic and natural processes, and attempts to explain the interaction and composition of elements by reference to the contrary physical qualities.

This means that hardness or brittleness are due to the underlying relations between the primary contraries (hot, cold, dry, and moist).