Ryan Cook's dissertation argues that Aristotle holds that souls can serve as subjects for certain predicates involved in biological and cognitive processes. The dissertation examines passages where souls' subjecthood has been questioned and argues they demonstrate Aristotle viewed souls as capable of underlying uniquely psychic states and events. It focuses on cognitive representations involved in technical production as examples of predicates that must belong to souls alone, as representations can govern non-reciprocal changes without being affected in return. The dissertation thus interprets Aristotle as distinguishing between material and psychic subjects in order to develop a unified framework explaining interactions between physical attributes and cognitive states.

Aristotle On Psychic Subjecthood and Explanation: Dissertation Summary Ryan Cook PDF

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