Aristotle: On Sleep and Dreams (Classical Texts Series) [Paperback]

D. Gallop (Editor)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0856686751 | ISBN-13: 978-0856686757 | Publication Date: December 1, 1996

An edition and translation of Aristotle's three essays on sleep and dreams which is primarily intended as providing the material for their study placing them within a modern context which discusses not only classical philosophy but also contemporary accounts of dreaming.

Editorial Reviews

Language Notes

Text: English, Greek (translation)
Original Language: Greek --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 215 pages
• Publisher: Aris & Phillips (December 1, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0856686751
• ISBN-13: 978-0856686757
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 6.1 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,466,531 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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3.0 out of 5 stars Needs more Aristotle, less David Gallop, November 28, 2010

By 

Kieran Fox (Alam al-Mithal) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Aristotle: On Sleep and Dreams (Classical Texts) (Hardcover)

This book is a translation of Aristotle's three most important (arguably?) works on sleep and dreams, alongside the original Greek: De Somno et Vigilia (On Sleep and Waking), De Insomniis (On Dreaming), and De Divinatione per Somnum (On Divination through Sleep) - yes, indeed it's confusing that these Ancient Greek works are known by their Latin titles - one of history's hiccups.

Philosopher/historian David Gallop has done us a valuable service by collecting these three works into a single slim and readable volume, but all the merits of this book lie in Aristotle's own words, not Gallop's. Unfortunately, Aristotle's work comprise a tiny minority of this work (about 25 pages), whereas nearly a hundred pages are devoted to Gallop's rambling notes, comments, qualifications, etc. Some are useful, and I guess this is simply the genre, but much of it is simple repetition of what Aristotle has clearly stated and is unnecessary. The introduction (50 pages!) plods along in an intensely dry, academic, pedantic (I hope that's not a doubly redundant description) tone. Worst of all is that Gallop attempts to tie Aristotle's theories in with 'modern' dream science and the study of REM sleep; unfortunately, he chooses as comparisons the works of Freud, Francis Crick (of double helix fame) and N. Malcolm - even were these authors' ideas not largely out-of-date and discredited even at the time of this book's publication (1990), they are quite possibly three of the most moronic theories about dreams ever put into print. As a result these (lengthy and ponderous) sections fall completely flat, as Gallop vainly dissects minute points in arguments shown to be moot long ago. Gallop may be an expert in Greek and on Aristotle, but he seems to know almost nothing of the modern science of sleep and dreams, apart from those few sources cited above.

On to Aristotle: certainly there is a fair bit of chaff here, and even some unintentional howlers in the philosopher's explanations for some things, but by and large the most striking thing is how modern and scientific his musings on sleep and dreams are. In fact, I'm tempted to say Aristotle's discussion is a considerable cut above many contemporary 'theories' of dreaming, especially among the 'New Age' and, come to think of it, even Freud's tortured meanderings. Aristotle correctly identifies many features of sleep and dreams, such as that the body drops in temperature during sleep, that sleep and dreaming are apparently common to almost all animals, that lucid dreaming is possible, that the essence of dreams is that the central apparatus which usually processes sensory data is active without the constraint of external stimuli, while meanwhile the faculty of judgment or reason is attenuated (almost exactly the modern scientific understanding, except that Aristotle thinks this central organ is the heart, not the brain - but give the guy a break!). He also preempts (by about 2500 years) Freud's alleged 'discovery' of day residue: that things sensed/perceived during the preceding day or so tend to reappear in modified form in dreams.

If you're really interested in sleep and/or dreams, I'd recommend taking a look into this book - but I don't think it's worth buying, by any means (especially considering how expensive even used editions appear to be online). All three of Aristotle's works translated here are freely available online (just do a search for the titles I mentioned above), and Gallop's lengthy notes add very little to the discussion and could easily be done without. If your library has this, though, it's always nice to read things on paper.