Andronicus of Rhodes Quotes
Andronicus of Rhodes was a Greek Peripatetic philosopher of the first century BC, traditionally counted as the eleventh head of the Aristotelian school in Athens, and the editor of the corpus of Aristotle's writings as we now possess it. His arrangement of Aristotle's previously scattered manuscripts, his ordering of the metaphysical writings as the volume that comes after the physics, and his catalog of the Aristotelian and Theophrastean libraries did much to fix the canonical shape of the Peripatetic tradition. The quotes below are attributed to Andronicus of Rhodes, organized by topic.
Andronicus of Rhodes on Knowledge
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Attributed to Andronicus of Rhodes:
“What is preserved must be ordered if it is to be preserved at all.”
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Attributed to Andronicus of Rhodes:
“The metaphysics, although in nature first, in our learning come after the physics.”
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Attributed to Andronicus of Rhodes:
“An editor is not a co-author, but neither is he a mere copyist; the choices of arrangement carry their own thought.”
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Attributed to Andronicus of Rhodes:
“Aristotle's library was the school's living treasure; we have done our part by sorting it.”
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Attributed to Andronicus of Rhodes:
“He who reads Aristotle must first know which Aristotle he is reading.”