On Divination in Sleep

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Physics On the Heavens On Generation and Corruption Meteorology On the Universe* On the Soul Sense and Sensibilia On Memory On Sleep On Dreams On Divination in Sleep On Length and Shortness of Life On Youth, Old Age, Life and Death, and Respiration On Breath* History of Animals Parts of Animals Movement of Animals Progression of Animals Generation of Animals On Colors* On Things Heard* Physiognomonics* On Plants* On Marvellous Things Heard* Mechanics† Problems† On Indivisible Lines* The Situations and Names of Winds* On Melissus, Xenophanes, and Gorgias*
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On Divination in Sleep (or On Prophesying by Dreams; Greek: Περὶ τῆς καθ᾽ ὕπνον μαντικῆς; Latin: De divinatione per somnum) is a text by Aristotle in which he discusses precognitive dreams.

The treatise, one of the Parva Naturalia, is an early inquiry (perhaps the first formal one) into this phenomenon. In his skeptical consideration of such dreams, Aristotle argues that, although "the senders of such dreams should be the gods," it is nonetheless the case "that those to whom they are sent are not the best and wisest, but merely commonplace persons" (i, 462b20-22). Thus, "Most [so-called prophetic] dreams are, however, to be classed as mere coincidences" (i, 463a31-b1).

External links[]

• Works related to On Prophesying by Dreams at Wikisource
• English translation by J. I. Beare
• Parva Naturalia public domain audiobook at LibriVox
• Greek text ed. W. D. Ross available in HTML format via Greco interattivo (Link not functioning).
• Greek text available on Greek Wikisource.

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