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Introduction

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  14 May 2021

Sophia M. Connell
Affiliation:
Birkbeck College, University of London
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Summary

Aristotle’s writings on animals comprise approximately a quarter of his surviving works. There are three lengthy treatises entitled Historia Animalium, On the Parts of Animals, and On the Generation of Animals. Other works on animals include On the Movement of Animals and On the Progression of Animals. In addition to these, a number of short discussions, collectively entitled the Parva Naturalia, focus on the capacities of living beings such as perception, breathing, and sleep. These works form what has been referred to by scholars in the last fifty years as the “biological corpus” of Aristotle. In them we find rich and varied discussions about anything from keenness of sight to egg laying, from parenting skills to dreaming. Much of the content of these works has been consistently marginalized in the history of philosophy.1 Bringing to light Aristotle’s biology as part of his philosophy is the main focus of this collection. This introduction will touch on the history, content, and methodology of these works and Aristotle’s key ideas on the science of living beings.

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Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2021

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  • Introduction
  • Edited by Sophia M. Connell, Birkbeck College, University of London
  • Book: The Cambridge Companion to Aristotle's Biology
  • Online publication: 14 May 2021
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108181792.001
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  • Introduction
  • Edited by Sophia M. Connell, Birkbeck College, University of London
  • Book: The Cambridge Companion to Aristotle's Biology
  • Online publication: 14 May 2021
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108181792.001
Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

  • Introduction
  • Edited by Sophia M. Connell, Birkbeck College, University of London
  • Book: The Cambridge Companion to Aristotle's Biology
  • Online publication: 14 May 2021
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108181792.001
Available formats
×