 

From Mt. Olympus to Lake Nyanza

Greek scholar flourishes at Grinnell

by Dave Wick ‘

Quick: where can one find the
world's foremost expert on
Aristotle? Answer: at a small,
isolated, midwestern college
located in Grinnell, Iowa.

Such renowned experts exist in
small numbers, and very few of
them can be found teaching inl
small liberal arts colleges. The
advanced knowledge they offer
seems more appropriate to
graduate schools and research
institutions. Yet, despite the lack of
availability of these experts for the
small school, Grinnell has
managed to secure the services of
at least one faculty member of this
calibre He is H. George Apostle.
Steele Professor of Mathematics.

in math. Then, on a fellowship, he
attended Columbia's graduate
school for further study of math
and physics.

After Columbia, he received a
second fellowship which took him
tothe University of Chicago, There
he became a member of the ,
Committee of Liberal Arts which
functioned under the direction of
University President Robert
Hutchins. The committee was
composed of graduate students and
explored the possibility of in-
troducing a liberal education in the
United States which would utilize
in part a classical background.

DURING his term as President
from 1929 to 1945, Hutchins made
several radical innovations based

Apostle, by the age of 12, had

completed all eight years of

American grammar school—in
only two and a half years.

Although originally a professor
of math, Professor Apostle in
recent years has mastered the
philosophy of Aristotle and
produced the most accurate
modern English translations of
several of Aristotle's works.
Amazingly, this scholarship
sprung from Apostles initial
dabbling in philosophy during the
latter part of his college career,
which he then considered only a
hobby.

"MY FIRST interest was
mathematics and I taught mostly
math and some physics. But
gradually philosophy gained more
of my attention, i enjoyed both
fields but now Aristotle has taken
over as my main interest,” ex»
plains Apostle. ‘

Born only ten miles from fabled
Mt. Olympus, Apostle seems to
have been blessed with succﬁs by
the mythical deities said to inhabit
the ancient peak His family
moved to New York City, and by
age 12, he had completed all eight
grades of American grammar
schooliin only two and a half
years, During high school, he was
the highest scorer in mathematical
competition in New York City for
three consecutive years.

AS ONE of ten national winners,
Apostle was named a Pulitzer
Scholar which enabled him to

/ attend Columbia University as an
undergraduate. where he majored

 

on ideas explored by the Come
mittee of Liberal Arts. These in
cluded the elimination of football
and fraternities from the
university, as well as the stressing
of a liberal arts curriculum rather
than specialization in a single
discipline

During his stay at Chicago.
Apostle gained from Professor
Richard McKeon, whom he calls
“the most learned man of our time
in philosophy.” the basic tools
necessary for his later study and
translations of Aristotle. McKeon,
a top Aristotelian scholar, gave
Apostle the initial incentive to
translate Aristotle by pointing out
that a reliable English rendering
did not exist. McKeon held that to
produce one, Aristotle must be
read and translated in a scientific
manner, the same manner in
which he wrote.

“PROFESSOR McKcon taught
his students how to read Aristotle
in a scientific manner. He taught
the works in Greek because he felt
the translations were inaccurate.
He and others urged me to trane
slate Aristotle’s works. He put the
bug in my ear.

“As I read more in the original
Greek.l saw that Aristotle had a
great sense for accuracy and
scope. In my opinion he is the most
scientific philosopher of all time.
There is no question about it,”
Apostle says,

PROFESSOR Apostle has used
his mathematical background by
approaching Aristotle scienr
titically. Thus, he has followed
McKeon's advice and eliminated
the inaccuracies of non-scientific
translations. ”I find at least 20 to 30
mistakes in each page in every
translation I read. Nonescientists
can't translate a scientific work,
The Greek sentence is very abe
breviated and it takes logic to
unravel it,” he claims.

Upon leaving Chicago. Apostle
studied theology at Lavall
University in Quebec, aided by yet
another fellowship. From Canada
he proceeded to New England
where he earned his PhD. in
philosophy at Harvard in 1942 This
was financed by still another
fellowship,

AT WEST Virginia Wesleyan
College, Apostle began his
teaching career in math and
physics, which he continued during
the war years of 194345 at the
University of Rochester. Amherst
College hired him in 1945 to teach
math and philosophy and in 1947 he
returned to his alma mater in
Chicago to teach philosophy of
science,

With his greatest achievements
Still ahead of him, Apostle arrived
at Grinnell in 1948 as a new
member of the math department;
but he had in mind a plan for future
work in philosophy. It was at
Grinnell that Apostle wroteand
published three books dealing with
math as well as three translations
of Aristotle.

“I WANTED to prepare a long
range project. This cannot be done

Professor Apostle will speak this summer In Greece at a World

Congress or Aristotelian experts.

conference which will be held in
Greece, This trip will mark his
third visit to Greece since leaving
there in 1922. Earlier visits were
made in 1960 and 1969.

Although many of his relatives
still live in Greece, he has no
special desire to make it his home
once again. He explains, “I'm
anxious to return to Greece but not
to live there. The intellectual en-
vironment of the United States is
far superior,”

APOSTLE'S first work was
published in 1952, Aristotle's
Philosophy of Mathematics, which
was followed two years later by
College Algebra. In 1960 he
produced Basic Mathematics and
in 1963 he began translating. Since

tpliotos by Chris Lower)

changed my outlook toward life,
making me feel that there are so
many things to know because of the
overall view which he had. He was
a comprehensive philosopher. i
like to look at things in their
totality. It makes life more in
teresting."

BECAUSE he believes that
teaching is a fill] time lob, and
because of the demand trans
lating makes on his time, Apostle
has had to greatly reduce his own
classroom luad. Furthermore.
there is not always a great demand
on the part of students for a course
on Aristotle. Therefore. he makes
himself available as the need
arises, For example. he is
presently conducting an in-

“. . .I can get help from no one in any university.

I’m beyond it. It’s not necessary to b‘éa'witb

Aristotelian colleagues.”—H. George Apostle

at a university which deals in
immediate research for ad-
vancement I wanted to take my
time in a college which didn't
demand Immediate research.
without being handicapped by a
university,” he explains.

He feels happy and content zit
Grinnell, praising it as “a fine
place, well rounded.” and calls it
“the best place for liberal arts.”
Few activities outside his work
interesthim and he seldom travels
“I’m happy with what I‘m doing
and I want to carry that on. Ihave
no complaints at all. The ad-
ministration at Grinnell has en-
couraged my work," he adds.

IllS LEVEL of scholarship has
surpassed that of any other
Aristotelian expert, and his
isolationat Grinnell from any
other Aristotelian scholars seems
only to facilitate his ad-
vancements. Apostle is able to
function without the pressure of
university demands. He frankly
states, “I have reached the stage
where i can get help from no one in
any university. I'm beyond it It‘s
not necessary to be With
Aristotelian colleagues.”

In 1968, after 20 years of teaching
math, physics and philosophy at
Grinnell, Apostle limited himself to
teaching one seminar course on
Aristotle per year, allowing him to
devote most of his time to tran-
slating. He gets paid for only that
one course and comments, “I
chose-that arrangement and I'm
happy with it "

Apostle has been asked to
present a major lecture this year
at a World Congress of Aristotelian
experts in honor of the 2300th
anniversary of Aristotle’s death,
Ilc will speak on Aristotle's
philosophy of science at the August

 

then his renderings of Aristotle's
Metaphysics, Physics, and
Nicnmachcail Ethics have been
published. He has also completed
Philosophy of Science and
Categorics and Propositions, both
of which are now awaiting
publication. Presently he is at
work on Aristotle’s psychology.
Poetics. Politics, and lilictoi'ic
comprise the list of future tran-
slations.

Critics and reviewers of
Apostle’s works, both in America
and abroad, have been generally
impressed with his efforts. One
reviewer of /\ri olle's Philosophy
of Mathemnli : wrote in the
November, 1953 issue of Modern
Scliooinian, “Its presentation and
terminology are such that an
unwary reader might think that he
had stumbled on an English
translation of some long lost
treatise of Aristotle, This work is
not a-series of quotations but is
written as Aristotle himself might
have done it if he had seen fit to
write a separate study on the
philosophy of mathematics ”

SPENDING a lifetime studying
Aristotle has obviously affected
Professor Apostle in various ways.
in analyzing his own writing style,
Apostle observes, “My style is
very close to Aristotle's, using
Aristotle's principles of scientific
writing ”

The greatest influence of
Aristotle on Apostle appears to be
the belief in a well rounded,
comprehensive outlook on the
world and an appreciation for
all areas of study, a notion also
held by Robert Hutchins and ad
vanced by the Committee of
Liberal Arts. Speaking as if a
personal friend of Aristotle,
Apostle says. “Aristotle has most

 

dependent with a pre-law student
who is interested mainly in
Aristotle’s theories of justice,

T0 ills dismay in the past,
Professor Apostle has recognized a
lack of concern for the philosophy
of Aristotle and. although he thinks
that new interest is growing, he
feels that there is a definite need
for Aristotle‘s \vell-roundedness in
our society.

“There is a great need for
Aristotle and much more activity
in learning Aristotle than ever
before. Accurate translations are
desirable for this reason,” he
points out,

"RENAISSANCE thought
connected Aristotle thh
Medievalism but they used by
habit his scientific principles
Without being aware of it. They
were interested in defending the
Church by Aristotelian logic, which
was very effective."

Professor H. George Apostle is a
key figure in the development of
this renewed interest in Aristotle.
Through the accuracy he achieves
in his translations, he determines
to a great extent the modern un-
derstanding of Aristotle and his
philosophy. in effect, he is helping
to rediscover the superior
knowledge of Aristotle found
during the Middle Ages though
later stiﬂed by the Renaissance.
In leading Aristotelian research
backwards in time, he directs it
toward a new understanding of the
great philosopher.

After reading A ‘stotle's
Philosophy of Matheni‘ cs. the
chairman of the Committee of
Liberal Arts said to Apostle.
“You're either a genius or a
fraud " Apostle retorted, “I’m
neither one, nor the other. I‘m an
apostle of Aristotle."

 

