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Aristotle384 – 322 BCE
called “the first scientist”
Copyright P. Di Georgio 2!"
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#ristotle $iography
● %t&dent at Plato's #cade(y in #thens
● )&tor of yo&ng #le*ander the Great
● +et&rns later in life to set &p his o,n school- the Lyceum appro*.33" BCE/
● %&$0ects1 $otany- $iology- logic- (&sic- (athe(atics- astrono(y-(edicine- cos(ology- physics- the history of philosophy-(etaphysics- psychology- ethics- theology- rhetoric- politicalhistory- goern(ent and political theory- rhetoric- and the arts
● Perhaps first great li$rary of all ti(e
● f ,hat ,as liely aro&nd 2 te*ts $y #ristotle- ,e only hae 3!s&riing
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)otally different fo&ndationalprinciples
● Cognition and perception are tr&st,orthy so&rces of no,ledge
– E*act opposite of Plato
● Empiricism contra idealism Plato/
– i.e. ,e tae pheno(enon for ,hat it is- at face al&e- and ,e try to e*plain it
● 5e are dra,n to philosophy $y o&r conf&sion and o&r p&66le(ent
● %cience s. co((on7credi$le $elief dialectic/
– 5hat ,e ,ant is the for(er $&t he al(ost al,ays addresses the latter as ,ell
● “%cience” e*plains ,hat is less ,ell no,n $y ,hat is $etter no,n and (oref&nda(ental
– i.e. ,e e*plain ,hat ,e no, less f&lly $y ,ay of e*plaining in ter(s of ,hat ,e no, (oref&lly
● Both science and credi$le $elief (&st (ae &se of- and o$ey- la,s of logic
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%chool of #thens
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#ristotle on science3 types
i/ theoretical- ii/ practical- iii/ prod&ctie
i/ no,ledge for its o,n sae- ii/ right cond&ction and right action iii/(aing $ea&tif&l or &sef&l things
internet1 “first scientist”
“science” for #ristotle is not ,hat ,e &s&ally/ (ean $y science today
not e*peri(ental- not o$0ectie- not nat&ralistic7physicalist
no telos of progress
9&alitatie- rather than 9&antitatie descriptions of things
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Aristotle's works
Organon
● Categories
● De Interpretatione
● Prior Analytics
● Posterior Analytics
● Topics
● Sophistical Refutations
Theoretical Sciences
● Physics
● Generation and Corruption
● De Caelo [On the Heavens
● !etaphysics
● De Ani"a [On the Soul
●
Parva #aturalia [$rief #atural Treatises● History of Ani"als
● Parts of Ani"als
● !ove"ent of Ani"als
● !eteorology
● Progression of Ani"als
● Generation of Ani"als
Practical Sciences
● #ico"achean %thics
● %ude"ian %thics
● !agna !oralia [Great %thics
● Politics
Productive Science
● Rhetoric
● Poetics
Plato's works
● %uthyphro● Apology● Crito● Ph&do● Cratylus● The&tetus● Sophist● States"an● Par"enides● Phile'us● Sy"posiu"● Ph&drus● Alci'iades● (nd Alci'iades● Hipparchus) Rival *overs● Theages● Char"ides● *aches● *ysis● %uthyde"us● Protagoras● Gorgias● !eno● Hippias "a+or) Hippias "inor● Ion●
!ene,enus● Clitophon● Repu'lic● Ti"&us● Critias● !inos● *a-s● %pino"is● *etters