The basic sources for the present study are, of course, Aristotle's physical works, especially the Physics, and St. Thomas' respective commentaries. Besides his commentaries, St. Thomas also has several smaller writings relating to natural philosophy, notably De Principiis Naturae (The Principles of Nature), by general consensus an authentic composition. The complete translation of this work appears in the Texts appended to the present volume.6 Among past writers of the Thomistic School should be singled out John of St. Thomas, whose Cursus Philosophicus contains what is still one of the best systematic expositions of the traditional philosophy of nature.7 As for English titles, the following list, while far from complete, may be taken as representative: 8
KOCOURER, R. A., An Introduction to the Philosophy of Nature (revised ed.; St. Paul: North Central Publishing Co., 1951). This comprises a translation of De Principiis Naturae, based on Pauson's critical text, a translation of Books I - II of St. Thomas' Commentary on the Physics, and an excellent essay, "The Philosophy of Nature and the Experimental Sciences."
MARITAIN, JACQUES, Philosophy of Nature, trans. by Imelda C. Byrne (New York: Philosophical Library, Inc., 1951); The Degrees of Knowledge (New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1938), a translation of Les Degres du Savior. A completely new English version of the Degres is reportedly under way, but efforts to anticipate details of publication proved unsuccessful.
PHILLIPS, R. P., Modern Thomistic Philosophy, I (Westminster, Md.: The Newman Press, 1950).
SMITH, VINCENT E., Philosophical Physics (New York: Harper & Brothers, 1950).
VAN MELSEN, ANDREW G., The Philosophy of Nature, Duquesne Studies, Philosophical Series, 2 (2nd ed.; Pittsburgh: Duquesne University, 1954).
Three French works of special note are:
LE BLOND, J. M., Traite sur les Parties des animaux (Paris: Aubier, 1945), a French translation of De Partibus Animalium (On the Parts of Animals). Le Blond's Introduction to Book I is well worth reading.
MANSION, A., Introduction a la physique aristotelicienne (2nd. ed.; Louvain, 1945).
SIMARD, EMILE, La nature et la portee de la methode scientifique (Quebec: Les Presses Universitaires, 1956). This is devoted, in large part, to the understanding of procedure in mathematical physics. To each chapter are appended select readings, truly comprehensive in total coverage, ranging from Plato and Aristotle to Einstein and Eddington.