Ammonio e il capitolo 9 del De Interpretatione aristotelico

The much debated chapter 9 of Aristotle's De interpretatione raises a difficulty regarding the distribution of truth values between the members of a contradictory pair for contingent future-tense singular assertions. This article addresses Ammonius' reading of the issue by analyzing in detail the arguments he presents against determinism. Ammonius' solution mainly consists in introducing a distinction - absent from Aristotle's text - between dividing true from false in a definite vs an indefinite way.

The author clarifies the meaning and implications of such a notion, thus arguing for Ammonius' ascription to the so-called non-standard interpretation of Aristotle's chapter. It is also argued that Ammonius' commentary, though not providing a decisive solution to the problem, is nonetheless coherent and offers an interesting insight. The general aim of the article is, therefore, to contribute to the long-lasting debate on De interpretatione 9 in an indirect way, namely to understand the deeper implications of the famous Aristotelian chapter by delving into one of the solutions offered by the tradition. [Publisher's text]