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Description of  Aristotle and the Animals: The Logos of Life Itself (Routledge Monographs in Classical Studies)

With a novel approach to Aristotles zoology, this study looks at animals as creatures of nature (physis) and reveals a scientific discourse that, in response to his predecessors, exiles logos as reason and pursues the logos intrinsic to animals bodies empowering them to sense the world and live. The volume explores Aristotles conception of animals through a discussion of his ad hoc methodology to study them, including the pertinence of the soul to such a study, and the rise of zoology as a branch of natural philosophy. For Aristotle, animal life stems from the body in the space of existence and revolves around sensation, which is entwined with pleasure, pain, and desire. Lack of human reason is irrelevant to an understanding of the richness of animal life and cognition. In sum, the reader will acquire knowledge of the "animal as such," which lay at the core of Aristotles agenda and required a study of its own, separate from plants and the elements. Read more