This was one of Aristotle's more fascinating texts. It's incredible to think about how critically, and carefully, he thought about the subject matter. He was able to develop his ideas quite palatably and in detail without the aid of modern science. This is not one to be missed, I recommend it for all those interested in classical literature and non-fiction. ( )

Bought in high school

As I mentioned in my last review of Aristotle, I read this more from the desire to study Aristotle thoroughly. I don't think this book would qualify as essential Aristotle, but if one were to grade his books on philosophical priority, it might qualify as a less essential physical work. It is a companion treatise to his Physics, but not quite as interesting.

It is intriguing to get a glimpse into the state of science/natural philosophy during this period of time. Obviously, Aristotle didn't have access to the same technological means to measure natural phenomena, so his experiments were almost certainly rudimentary. That being said, Aristotle did have remarkably correct understanding in regards to the role that temperature plays in weather and meteorological phenomena. He wasn't correct in all of his opinions regarding how temperature influences weather, but he did correctly understand that it was an important factor. He also understood many of the properties of water evaporation, condensation and precipitation. He must have performed some experiments himself in regards to the properties of solids and liquids when cooled or heated. One has to be slightly impressed by his inquisitive zeal and close theoretical approximations.

Aristotle believed that earthquakes were caused by wind being caught in subterranean cavities and that shooting stars were a product of the ignition of terrestrial gaseous exhalations. I'm sure if Aristotle found out that earthquakes are caused by the movement of tectonic plates and that shooting stars were actually falling cosmic debris, he would be thrown for quite a loop. The actual primary cause of these phenomena are less complicated than his theories.

As I said before, I don't give negative reviews based on obsolete scientific knowledge. This work I only found minorly interesting. It provides a glimpse into archaic natural philosophy, but doesn't provide much in terms of practical knowledge. I rate it at about 2-and-half to 3 stars. ( )

La Meteorologia è una delle poche opere di Aristotele delle quali è l'autore stesso a darci il titolo fin dall'introduzione. Ma i temi trattati sono molto differenti e più vasti rispetto alla disciplina che oggi indichiamo con lo stesso termine. Troviamo infatti lo studio dei terremoti, delle comete, delle inondazioni, della Via Lattea, delle mutazioni geologiche, dell'arcobaleno; non solo quindi delle piogge, dei venti e dei mutamenti climatici. L'ampiezza dei fenomeni indagati in quest'opera spiega la sua grande diffusione nelle epoche successive, superiore anche al Timeo di Platone; ancora in età moderna autori come Cartesio e Telesio si rapportano alla Meteorologia. Il quarto libro poi è il trattato di riferimento per l'intera storia dell'alchimia occidentale e araba fino agli esiti della chimica moderna. Questa edizione integrale dell'opera è l'unica presente in traduzione italiana.

Lucio Pepe ( )