On the Heavens

Book Review

Aristotle's «On the Heavens» is one of the foundational works of ancient philosophy, in which the author explores the nature of celestial bodies and their movement. Aristotle proposes a geocentric model of the universe, where Earth is at the center, and all celestial bodies revolve around it. He divides the world into two parts: the sublunary world, where everything is subject to change and decay, and the superlunary world, which is eternal and unchanging. Critics note that despite outdated scientific views, Aristotle's work had a tremendous influence on the development of astronomy and philosophy in the Middle Ages and the Renaissance. His ideas about natural motion and elements (earth, water, air, fire) became the foundation for many subsequent scientific investigations. Modern scholars and philosophers view «On the Heavens» as an important historical document that helps to understand the development of human thought and scientific concepts in antiquity.