Abstract
Aristotle's De Partibus Animalium (PA) is, if there ever was one, a classic. It consists, at the broadest level, of four books. The first is devoted to articulating (I'm quoting its introduction) “…standards, by reference to which one will judge the manner of the demonstrations <of natural inquiry>, apart from the question of how the truth has it, whether thus or otherwise.” (639al2-15). Books II-IV, on the other hand, are introduced as attempts to provide causal explanations for the facts regarding the parts that belong to the various kinds of animals, facts systematically organized in the Historia Animalium. (646a8-12). This means that Aristotle's De Partibus consists of an introductory book on the philosophy of biological science, and three books of biological science.Such an arrangement provides the student of this great work an opportunity to explore one of the perennial issues in the history and philosophy of science: the connection between a scientist's theory of science, and his actual scientific practice.
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