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Reviews Rhizomata 2014; 2(2):246­268 DOI 10.1515/rhiz-2014-0011 Allan Gotthelf, Teleology, First Principles, and Scientific Method in Aristotle's Biology, Oxford University Press, Oxford, 2012 (464 pp., ISBN 978­0199287956 [hb])¹ There is something unique about the history of biology. Whereas, since ancient times, other scientific disciplines kept constantly revisiting and criticizing previous hypotheses, and thus evolving in new directions, biology as a systematic study of living species simply appeared in its Aristotelian shape (Democritean intimations notwithstanding) and stayed rather intact for more than two millennia. Arguably, despite the important developments in human physiology (from Galen to Vesalius or Harvey) and the growing empirical knowledge of new specimens including those discovered in the New World and Australia, no new major synthesis emerged until the scientific upheaval of 18th century when the term `biology' was finally coined.² Various explanations of this puzzling situation have been proposed, but absences are difficult to make a neat sense of.³ Perhaps Aristotelian biology was simply too intimidating in its breathtaking scope and its original thoroughness, imposing too many different demands upon its practitioners. After all, to understand, let alone coherently reject or seriously transform this enterprise, one needs to have a firm grasp on Aristotle's methodological principles and http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png Rhizomata de Gruyter

Reviews

Thein, Karel
Rhizomata , Volume 2 (2) – Dec 1, 2014
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Publisher
de Gruyter
Copyright
Copyright © 2014 by the
ISSN
2196-5102
eISSN
2196-5110
DOI
10.1515/rhiz-2014-0011
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Abstract

Rhizomata 2014; 2(2):246­268 DOI 10.1515/rhiz-2014-0011 Allan Gotthelf, Teleology, First Principles, and Scientific Method in Aristotle's Biology, Oxford University Press, Oxford, 2012 (464 pp., ISBN 978­0199287956 [hb])¹ There is something unique about the history of biology. Whereas, since ancient times, other scientific disciplines kept constantly revisiting and criticizing previous hypotheses, and thus evolving in new directions, biology as a systematic study of living species simply appeared in its Aristotelian shape (Democritean intimations notwithstanding) and stayed rather intact for more than two millennia. Arguably, despite the important developments in human physiology (from Galen to Vesalius or Harvey) and the growing empirical knowledge of new specimens including those discovered in the New World and Australia, no new major synthesis emerged until the scientific upheaval of 18th century when the term `biology' was finally coined.² Various explanations of this puzzling situation have been proposed, but absences are difficult to make a neat sense of.³ Perhaps Aristotelian biology was simply too intimidating in its breathtaking scope and its original thoroughness, imposing too many different demands upon its practitioners. After all, to understand, let alone coherently reject or seriously transform this enterprise, one needs to have a firm grasp on Aristotle's methodological principles and

Journal

Rhizomata – de Gruyter

Published: Dec 1, 2014

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