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following the guidance of fact, finds himself constrained to speak of the ratio
(olugos) as constituting the essence and real nature of things. Such, for
instance, is the case when he explains what is a bone. For he does not merely
describe its material, and say it is this one element, or those two or three
elements, or a compound of all the elements, but states the ratio (olugos) of
their combination. As with a bone, so manifestly is it with the flesh and all
other similar parts.
The reason why our predecessors failed in hitting upon this method of
treatment was, that they were not in possession of the notion of essence, nor
of any definition of substance. The first who came near it was Democritus,
and he was far from adopting it as a necessary method in natural science, but
was merely brought to it, spite of himself, by constraint of facts. In the time of
Socrates a nearer approach was made to the method. But at this period men
gave up inquiring into the works of nature, and philosophers diverted their
attention to political science and to the virtues which benefit mankind.
Of the method itself the following is an example. In dealing with
respiration we must show that it takes place for such or such a final object;
and we must also show that this and that part of the process is necessitated by
this and that other stage of it. By necessity we shall sometimes mean
hypothetical necessity, the necessity, that is, that the requisite antecedants
shall be there, if the final end is to be reached; and sometimes absolute
necessity, such necessity as that which connects substances and their inherent
properties and characters. For the alternate discharge and re-entrance of heat
and the inflow of air are necessary if we are to live. Here we have at once a
necessity in the former of the two senses. But the alternation of heat and
refrigeration produces of necessity an alternate admission and discharge of the
outer air, and this is a necessity of the second kind.
In the foregoing we have an example of the method which we must adopt,
and also an example of the kind of phenomena, the causes of which we have
to investigate.
2
Some writers propose to reach the definitions of the ultimate forms of
animal life by bipartite division. But this method is often difficult, and often
impracticable.
Sometimes the final differentia of the subdivision is sufficient by itself, and
the antecedent differentiae are mere surplusage. Thus in the series Footed,
Two-footed, Cleft-footed, the last term is all-expressive by itself, and to
append the higher terms is only an idle iteration. Again it is not permissible to
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Buch The Complete Aristotle"
The Complete Aristotle
- Titel
- The Complete Aristotle
- Autor
- Aristotle
- Datum
- ~322 B.C.
- Sprache
- englisch
- Lizenz
- PD
- Abmessungen
- 21.0 x 29.7 cm
- Seiten
- 2328
- Schlagwörter
- Philosophy, Antique, Philosophie, Antike, Dialogues, Metaphysik, Metaphysics, Ideologie, Ideology, Englisch
- Kategorien
- Geisteswissenschaften
- International
Inhaltsverzeichnis
- Part 1; Logic (Organon) 3
- Categories 4
- On Interpretation 34
- Prior Analytics, Book I 56
- Prior Analytics, Book II 113
- Posterior Analytics, Book I 149
- Posterior Analytics, Book II 193
- Topics, Book I 218
- Topics, Book II 221
- Topics, Book III 237
- Topics, Book IV 248
- Topics, Book V 266
- Topics, Book VI 291
- Topics, Book VII 317
- Topics, Book VIII 326
- On Sophistical Refutations 348
- Part 2; Universal Physics 396
- Physics, Book I 397
- Physics, Book II 415
- Physics, Book III 432
- Physics, Book IV 449
- Physics, Book V 481
- Physics, Book VI 496
- Physics, Book VII 519
- Physics, Book VIII 533
- On the Heavens, Book I 570
- On the Heavens, Book II 599
- On the Heavens, Book III 624
- On the Heavens, Book IV 640
- On Generation and Corruption, Book I 651
- On Generation and Corruption, Book II 685
- Meteorology, Book I 707
- Meteorology, Book II 733
- Meteorology, Book III 760
- Meteorology, Book IV 773
- Part 3; Human Physics 795
- On the Soul, Book I 796
- On the Soul, Book II 815
- On the Soul, Book III 840
- On Sense and the Sensible 861
- On Memory and Reminiscence 889
- On Sleep and Sleeplessness 899
- On Dreams 909
- On Prophesying by Dreams 918
- On Longevity and the Shortness of Life 923
- On Youth, Old Age, Life and Death, and Respiration 929
- Part 4; Animal Physics 952
- The History of Animals, Book I 953
- The History of Animals, Book II translated 977
- The History of Animals, Book III 1000
- The History of Animals, Book IV 1029
- The History of Animals, Book V 1056
- The History of Animals, Book VI 1094
- The History of Animals, Book VII 1135
- The History of Animals, Book VIII 1150
- The History of Animals, Book IX 1186
- On the Parts of Animals, Book I 1234
- On the Parts of Animals, Book II 1249
- On the Parts of Animals, Book III 1281
- On the Parts of Animals, Book IV 1311
- On the Motion of Animals 1351
- On the Gait of Animals 1363
- On the Generation of Animals, Book I 1381
- On the Generation of Animals, Book II 1412
- On the Generation of Animals, Book III 1444
- On the Generation of Animals, Book IV 1469
- On the Generation of Animals, Book V 1496
- Part 5; Metaphysics 1516
- Part 6; Ethics and Politics 1748
- Nicomachean Ethics, Book I 1749
- Nicomachean Ethics, Book II 1766
- Nicomachean Ethics, Book III 1779
- Nicomachean Ethics, Book IV 1799
- Nicomachean Ethics, Book V 1817
- Nicomachean Ethics, Book VI 1836
- Nicomachean Ethics, Book VII 1851
- Nicomachean Ethics, Book VIII 1872
- Nicomachean Ethics, Book IX 1890
- Nicomachean Ethics, Book X 1907
- Politics, Book I 1925
- Politics, Book II 1943
- Politics, Book III 1970
- Politics, Book IV 1997
- Politics, Book V 2023
- Politics, Book VI 2053
- Politics, Book VII 2065
- Politics, Book VIII 2091
- The Athenian Constitution 2102
- Part 7; Aesthetic Writings 2156