The Presence of Aristotle in the Works of Maria Zambrano: Initial Readings

Abstract

This article argues that Aristotle is a major influence in Zambrano’s works, and that several of the key concepts in her thinking can be explained by reading them in relation to Aristotle. Aristotle is the most quoted author after Ortega in Zambrano’s unpublished manuscripts, and he is continuously mentioned throughout her works. Even so, there have been few attempts at a comprehensive reading of the presence of Aristotle in Zambrano’s works. This article aims to initiate the discussion on what Zambrano used Aristotle for, and what the presence of Aristotelian concepts means for the interpretation of Zambrano’s philosophy. It is argued in the article that Zambrano uses Aristotle for the conception of a metaphysical structure of life and the human being. The article will show how Zambrano uses Aristotle’s concept of the soul (alma in Spanish, sometimes translated as mind in English versions of Aristotle) and of place (lugar in Spanish) in order to discuss the ontological and metaphysical grounds for human subjectivity.