ON THE NATURE AND SCOPE OF THE UNIVERSE

The most recent excavations on the site

of Mieza – ‘the temple of the nymphs’ –

a town in ancient Macedonia,

a mountainous land of river valleys –

have uncovered three sheets of papyrus

preserved in a tube of bronze.  Some scholars

believe the writing may be Aristotle’s.

The philosopher and polymath was engaged

by Philip II of Macedon

to tutor his oldest son – who was destined

to become Alexander the Great,

whose name is still bestowed on first born sons

throughout all of Central Asia.

 

The discovery appears to be

an unfinished treatise by Aristotle

in the form of a letter to his pupil,

Alexander. It is entitled:

On The Nature and Scope of the Universe –

Part One: Inanimate Objects. It begins

with a preamble, pointing out that

there are things we can learn to control –

for example, playing a flute, or treating

Greeks as friends and family but Barbarians

as beasts or as plants. It continues

by classifying three types of object

that are completely beyond our control:

first, the utterly predictable –

like the sun and moon; secondly,

the mostly predictable – like snow-melt

turning a river to torrents, or drought

drying its waters, killing its teeming fish;

lastly the utterly unpredictable:

stray stones a galloping horse lets fly

blinding a cavalry man for life;

a loose clay tile sliding from a roof

wounding the captain at the head of his troops

marching in the narrow street below;

a large slice of freshly baked zea bread,

young Alexander’s favourite breakfast,

falling honey-side down…

 

Alexander the GreatAristotleinanimate objectsPhilip of Macedonzea bread