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Generation of Animals
Aristotle, great Greek philosopher, researcher, reasoner, and writer, born at Stagirus in 384 BCE, was the son of Nicomachus, a physician, and Phaestis. He studied under Plato at Athens and taught there (367 47); subsequently he spent three years at the court of a former pupil, Hermeias, in Asia Minor and at this time married Pythias, one of Hermeias s relations. After some time at Mitylene, in 343 2 he was appointed by King Philip of Macedon to be tutor of his teen-aged son Alexander. After Philip s death in 336, Aristotle became head of his own school (of Peripatetics ), the Lyceum at Athens. Because of anti-Macedonian feeling there after Alexander s death in 323, he withdrew to Chalcis in Euboea, where he died in 322. Nearly all the works Aristotle prepared for publication are lost; the priceless ones extant are lecture-materials, notes, and memoranda (some are spurious). They can be categorized as follows: I. Practical: "Nicomachean Ethics"; "Great Ethics" ("Magna Moralia"); "Eudemian Ethics"; "Politics"; "Oeconomica" (on the good of the family); "Virtues and Vices."
II. Logical: "Categories"; "On Interpretation"; "Analytics" ("Prior" and "Posterior"); "On Sophistical Refutations"; "Topica."
III. Physical: Twenty-six works (some suspect) including astronomy, generation and destruction, the senses, memory, sleep, dreams, life, facts about animals, etc.
IV. "Metaphysics" on being as being.
V. On Art: "Art of Rhetoric" and "Poetics."
VI. Other works including the "Athenian Constitution"; more works also of doubtful authorship.
VII. Fragments of various works such as dialogues on philosophy and literature; and of treatises on rhetoric, politics and metaphysics. The Loeb Classical Library(r) edition of Aristotle is in twenty-three volumes.
II. Logical: "Categories"; "On Interpretation"; "Analytics" ("Prior" and "Posterior"); "On Sophistical Refutations"; "Topica."
III. Physical: Twenty-six works (some suspect) including astronomy, generation and destruction, the senses, memory, sleep, dreams, life, facts about animals, etc.
IV. "Metaphysics" on being as being.
V. On Art: "Art of Rhetoric" and "Poetics."
VI. Other works including the "Athenian Constitution"; more works also of doubtful authorship.
VII. Fragments of various works such as dialogues on philosophy and literature; and of treatises on rhetoric, politics and metaphysics. The Loeb Classical Library(r) edition of Aristotle is in twenty-three volumes.
688 pages, Hardcover
First published December 31, 1978
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About the author
Aristotle
4,280 books5,522 followersAristotle (Greek: Αριστοτέλης; 384–322 BC) was an Ancient Greek philosopher and polymath. His writings cover a broad range of subjects spanning the natural sciences, philosophy, linguistics, economics, politics, psychology, and the arts. As the founder of the Peripatetic school of philosophy in the Lyceum in Athens, he began the wider Aristotelian tradition that followed, which set the groundwork for the development of modern science.
Little is known about Aristotle's life. He was born in the city of Stagira in northern Greece during the Classical period. His father, Nicomachus, died when Aristotle was a child, and he was brought up by a guardian. At 17 or 18, he joined Plato's Academy in Athens and remained there until the age of 37 (c. 347 BC). Shortly after Plato died, Aristotle left Athens and, at the request of Philip II of Macedon, tutored his son Alexander the Great beginning in 343 BC. He established a library in the Lyceum, which helped him to produce many of his hundreds of books on papyrus scrolls.
Though Aristotle wrote many treatises and dialogues for publication, only around a third of his original output has survived, none of it intended for publication. Aristotle provided a complex synthesis of the various philosophies existing prior to him. His teachings and methods of inquiry have had a significant impact across the world, and remain a subject of contemporary philosophical discussion.
Aristotle's views profoundly shaped medieval scholarship. The influence of his physical science extended from late antiquity and the Early Middle Ages into the Renaissance, and was not replaced systematically until the Enlightenment and theories such as classical mechanics were developed. He influenced Judeo-Islamic philosophies during the Middle Ages, as well as Christian theology, especially the Neoplatonism of the Early Church and the scholastic tradition of the Catholic Church.
Aristotle was revered among medieval Muslim scholars as "The First Teacher", and among medieval Christians like Thomas Aquinas as simply "The Philosopher", while the poet Dante Alighieri called him "the master of those who know". His works contain the earliest known formal study of logic, and were studied by medieval scholars such as Pierre Abélard and Jean Buridan. Aristotle's influence on logic continued well into the 19th century. In addition, his ethics, although always influential, gained renewed interest with the modern advent of virtue ethics.
Little is known about Aristotle's life. He was born in the city of Stagira in northern Greece during the Classical period. His father, Nicomachus, died when Aristotle was a child, and he was brought up by a guardian. At 17 or 18, he joined Plato's Academy in Athens and remained there until the age of 37 (c. 347 BC). Shortly after Plato died, Aristotle left Athens and, at the request of Philip II of Macedon, tutored his son Alexander the Great beginning in 343 BC. He established a library in the Lyceum, which helped him to produce many of his hundreds of books on papyrus scrolls.
Though Aristotle wrote many treatises and dialogues for publication, only around a third of his original output has survived, none of it intended for publication. Aristotle provided a complex synthesis of the various philosophies existing prior to him. His teachings and methods of inquiry have had a significant impact across the world, and remain a subject of contemporary philosophical discussion.
Aristotle's views profoundly shaped medieval scholarship. The influence of his physical science extended from late antiquity and the Early Middle Ages into the Renaissance, and was not replaced systematically until the Enlightenment and theories such as classical mechanics were developed. He influenced Judeo-Islamic philosophies during the Middle Ages, as well as Christian theology, especially the Neoplatonism of the Early Church and the scholastic tradition of the Catholic Church.
Aristotle was revered among medieval Muslim scholars as "The First Teacher", and among medieval Christians like Thomas Aquinas as simply "The Philosopher", while the poet Dante Alighieri called him "the master of those who know". His works contain the earliest known formal study of logic, and were studied by medieval scholars such as Pierre Abélard and Jean Buridan. Aristotle's influence on logic continued well into the 19th century. In addition, his ethics, although always influential, gained renewed interest with the modern advent of virtue ethics.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
September 24, 2024
(4*s) I only read Chapters 1, 17-18, 20-23 of Book I. The reading portion dealt with the nature of semen, catamenia (menstrual discharge), and Aristotle's view of sexual generation.
I was surprised how Aristotle got some of his observations correct, especially when there were no advanced scientific tools. He got right that semen doesn't come from all of the body (thereby refuting the theory of pangenesis), that it is a secretion of useful nutriment (we now know that those nutriments are for the sperms), and that the male produces it. He also got right that the male produces an effective and active agent called semen, and the female provides the passive agent, which is the material of the catamenia (menstrual discharge).
Having said that, there are indeed some hilarious, erroneous, and sometimes offensive conclusions that Aristotle makes. For example, he claims that the exhaustion from the loss of semen comes from the deprivation of the nutriment that semen held. He claims that fat people produce less semen because the nutriment is used up to form the body. He appeals to his theory of motion, claiming that the active agent does not exist in the passive one, to deduce that the semen does not mingle with the material from the female but only endow the power and movement in it.
Nevertheless, as I read through his biological treatise, I am amazed at Aristotle's sharp observation and deduction skills. Had Aristotle had access to the microscope, I am sure he would have made much more correct conclusions.
P.S. I found his expression of animals as "divided plants" very interesting. In plants, male and female are not separated from each other. Although animals differ from plants by sense-perception, animals still have to fulfill the function endowed by the vegetative soul, exemplified by the plants, from time to time. So they must unite and copulate, becoming like a plant.
I was surprised how Aristotle got some of his observations correct, especially when there were no advanced scientific tools. He got right that semen doesn't come from all of the body (thereby refuting the theory of pangenesis), that it is a secretion of useful nutriment (we now know that those nutriments are for the sperms), and that the male produces it. He also got right that the male produces an effective and active agent called semen, and the female provides the passive agent, which is the material of the catamenia (menstrual discharge).
Having said that, there are indeed some hilarious, erroneous, and sometimes offensive conclusions that Aristotle makes. For example, he claims that the exhaustion from the loss of semen comes from the deprivation of the nutriment that semen held. He claims that fat people produce less semen because the nutriment is used up to form the body. He appeals to his theory of motion, claiming that the active agent does not exist in the passive one, to deduce that the semen does not mingle with the material from the female but only endow the power and movement in it.
Nevertheless, as I read through his biological treatise, I am amazed at Aristotle's sharp observation and deduction skills. Had Aristotle had access to the microscope, I am sure he would have made much more correct conclusions.
P.S. I found his expression of animals as "divided plants" very interesting. In plants, male and female are not separated from each other. Although animals differ from plants by sense-perception, animals still have to fulfill the function endowed by the vegetative soul, exemplified by the plants, from time to time. So they must unite and copulate, becoming like a plant.
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August 21, 2024Generation of Animals is about animal reproduction, embryology, and the “Final Cause” of animals. I usually enjoy Aristotle’s works on Biology because the subject is relatively easy to understand so it allows me to focus on his method and classification of the different animals. Since I can understand what he’s saying about animals, I can see how he uses his methodology to talk about things like the soul. I think this treatise is a great representation of the best and worst of Aristotle. The best being the beginning of science based on empirical evidence and experimentation. The worst being this kind of rigid classification based in this idea of “natural hierarchy” and teleology. In the treatise Aristotle argues that women are just deformed men. Generation of Animals shows how forward thinking Aristotle was but also shows how his work reflected biases of his own time. All in all this was maybe the most fun and easy to read Aristotle work I’ve read so far.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 16, 2021
Interesting, if we consider the year this book was written, then we would understand that the observatory in that age already quite detail. One person could observe many things, though maybe the knowledge also an inheritance of the previous observer.
December 30, 2014
You spend your afternoons mucking about tide pools, see how useful a biology you construct.
October 23, 2017
Another Biology class with my instructor Aristotle. This is a worthwhile read and I recommend it for anyone regardless of preparation.
February 26, 2019
This book is the most comprehensive from Aristotle about animal reproduction and causes.
Talks a bit about anatomy of sexual organs on animals, and respective sex positions adapted to it. Check whether the semen comes from the entire body,here it seems to be a discussion about DNA, obviously unknown at the time. He remembers that the embryo has the nutritive soul potentially, even though not actually, important aspect to consider against abortion.
After addressing human reproduction with mixed biological and philosophical perspectives, Aristotle goes on to other species, which is rather boring, like talking about horses, birds, etc.
On the last chapter the subject turns back to something which would fit better "history of animals" or "parts of animals", as the causes for certain parts of animals, like the existence of hair, and things like baldness, touted comically as originated due to sex, as "the body gets cold during intercourse, the brain is the coldest part of the body, cold makes hair fall, intercourse makes the hair fall".
First book and some of the others are interesting, the remainder I think they are useful only for those more interested in historical biology.
Talks a bit about anatomy of sexual organs on animals, and respective sex positions adapted to it. Check whether the semen comes from the entire body,here it seems to be a discussion about DNA, obviously unknown at the time. He remembers that the embryo has the nutritive soul potentially, even though not actually, important aspect to consider against abortion.
After addressing human reproduction with mixed biological and philosophical perspectives, Aristotle goes on to other species, which is rather boring, like talking about horses, birds, etc.
On the last chapter the subject turns back to something which would fit better "history of animals" or "parts of animals", as the causes for certain parts of animals, like the existence of hair, and things like baldness, touted comically as originated due to sex, as "the body gets cold during intercourse, the brain is the coldest part of the body, cold makes hair fall, intercourse makes the hair fall".
First book and some of the others are interesting, the remainder I think they are useful only for those more interested in historical biology.
December 31, 2023
Aristotle's genesis of the kingdom anamalia. Good read for historical referencing purposes.
June 25, 2013
On the Generation of Animals by Aristotle and translated by Arthur Platt is an ancient biological treatise on reproduction. The work is divided into five books which deal with the subject in a very complete manner. The first book scientifically discusses the different male and female reproductive organs as they exist in the various animals. At times this section reminds me of a biology textbook and at other times like what I learned in health class in high school. The thing is for the most part he was very accurate in so much as could be observed by the science of his day. The second book deals with the logical basis for Aristotle's views on reproduction. In many ways especially after the first section this section appears very ignorant and superstitious. He spends much of his time dealing with the ideas of the four elements and how they contribute to semen and menstrual fluid. As is often the case in Aristotle's scientific work there are weird mixtures of accurate information with ideas which are completely based on false axioms. The second half of the second book focuses on the development of a fetus in the viviparous creatures which are those who give live birth. While Aristotle comes to the incorrect idea that the heart is the center of being this was not uncommon in early biology and he goes about every step in which a fetus develops. The third book focuses on how oviparous creatures which are egg laying develop. While Aristotle had a completely inaccurate idea about the yolk and the white of an egg by the basis on his elemental conception of nature many of his ideas are decent. The fourth book focus on genetic inheritance without any idea of genetics. In this section he deals with mutations and his reasons why everything occurs on the basis of elemental ideology. The fifth book deals with how the major parts of the body change during the life of an animal. In many ways the summary of Aristotle's views on this topic is that Nature does nothing superfluous. It was educational as he has a better idea of animal reproduction than many American adults.
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December 6, 2018Book IV: Pregnancy
Book V: Sensation
Book V: Sensation
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews