Guns: Artistotle's History Of Animals
Aside from philosophy and the more psychological arts, Aristotle's greatest contribution to modern science is probably his writings on zoology. Indeed, the philosopher's powers of observation were keen and in many cases startlingly accurate when the knowledge base of the time is considered. Many of his conclusions regarding the nature, habits and evolution of animals were indeed conducive to the conclusions that led to the science we know today.
In the nine books of his History of Animals then, Aristotle observes animals in their habitat, and uses dissection to discover the mysteries inside the animal body as well. He begins his description in Book I of the physical properties of the animal body, and distinguishes various genera of animals. These are the main types of animals, such as fish, birds, etc. He furthermore goes on to describe the habits, habitat and social structure of groups of animals. This is also described in terms of food processing, reproduction and the senses that animals possess.
Throughout his work, Aristotle takes considerable time to distinguish between animals and human beings. Human beings for example experience the faculty of memory differently and in a much more complex manner than do animals. Aristotle explains that animals do not recall the past at will, but assimilate their experiences to make them part of instinct. A similarity...
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