2 Discursivity in Aristotle’s Biological Writings

Abstract

Contrary to a widespread dictum that Aristotle had a dogmatic-systematic style, everyone who becomes involved in reading Aristotle's scientific works notices that, quite the reverse, they are characterised by a certain spontaneity and, again and again, a promised systematics is not rigidly held to. Among his biological works are to be reckoned; Historia animalium , a collection of zoological facts, the writing De partibus animalium , the first book of which is a programme of zoology and which can be described as being a portrayal of the comparative morphology of animals, then De generatione animalium , which presents Aristotle's views on procreation, genetics and ontogenesis. As the works De partibus animalium and De generatione animalium often refer to Historia animalium , it can be said that Historia animalium represents the reservoir of facts from which the other two works can draw. Keywords: Aristotle's scientific works; De generatione animalium; De partibus animalium; dogmatic-systematic style; genetics; Historia animalium; ontogenesis