Medicine and philosophy - Classical Homeopathy Online

214 Aristotle and his schoolpower to see resemblances, 25 at the basis ofrational understanding, which is characteristic of human cognition. Thusvariations that seem to be merely necessary concomitants of other, purposivebiological structures and processes – and thus seem to be ‘natural’ only in the mechanical sense – can sometimes be accountedfor indirectly as being ‘natural’ in a teleological sense as well.This coexistence of two approaches need not be problematic: Aristotleis very much aware of the difference between teleological and mechanicalexplanations and is convinced of their being, to a very large extent,complementary. One might also say that the principle of ‘naturalness’ is applied by Aristotle at different levels: he does not shrinkfrom saying that even within the category of things happening ‘contrary tonature’ , such as the occurrence of deviations, deformationsand monstrosities, there is such a thing as ‘the natural’ ; 26deviations from the natural procedure can nevertheless display regularity,such as, again, the melancholics, who are said to be naturally abnormal. 27The difficulty that remains, however, is how explanations offered for thesevariations and deviations are to be related to explanations offered for thenormal procedure. This difficulty is especially urgent with variations inintellectual capacities; for these are explained with a reference to differencesin bodily conditions of the individuals concerned, which raises the questionof what the bodily conditions for a ‘normal’ operating of the intellect areand how this is to be related to Aristotle’s ‘normative’ view of thinkingas an incorporeal process: is the influence of these bodily conditions indeviations to be regarded as ‘interference’ in a process which normally hasno physical aspect whatsoever, or is there also such a thing as a ‘normal’ or‘healthy’ bodily state which acts as a physical substrate to thinking?A related difficulty presents itself in the ethical domain. On the onehand, Aristotle tries to connect his views on what is best for man withwhat he believes to be man’s natural activity . 28 On the otherhand, he also notoriously tries to provide a biological foundation for hisbelief that not all human beings are equally capable of realising the moraland intellectual virtues, 29 which is at the basis of his views on politicalorganisation (e.g. his views on the naturalness of the state, slavery, and25 On this principle see Lambert (1966) and van der Eijk (1994) 326 and 333.26 Gen. an. 770 b 10ff. 27 Eth. Nic. 1154 b 11; Pr. 954 b 8ff.; 955 a 40.28 See Eth. Nic. 1097 b 25ff.29 See the condition of natural ability in Eth. Nic. 1099 b 17ff.: ‘In this way, happiness is also common tomany; for it is possible for it to be available through some sort of learning and practising to all thosewho are not disabled in respect of virtue’ ( [sc. ] ).