Aristotle's Generation of Animals

Historically and philosophically informed introduction to the embryological, zoological, and medical views presented in this sophisticated and challenging text.

Provides a critical and philosophically informed exploration of this, one of the most mature, sophisticated, and carefully crafted scientific writings, in which Aristotle gives an account of animal reproductive processes. Important for scholars and students of ancient philosophy and of the history and philosophy of science.Generation of Animals is one of Aristotle's most mature, sophisticated, and carefully crafted scientific writings. His overall goal is to provide a comprehensive and systematic account of how animals reproduce, including a study of their reproductive organs, what we would call fertilization, embryogenesis, and organogenesis. In this book, international experts present thirteen original essays providing a philosophically and historically informed introduction to this important work. They shed light on the unity and structure of the Generation of Animals, the main theses that Aristotle defends in the work, and the method of inquiry he adopts. They also open up new avenues of exploration of this difficult and still largely unexplored work. The volume will be essential for scholars and students of ancient philosophy as well as of the history and philosophy of science.