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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