Parts of Animals
Four books explain why animals possess particular parts and how those parts contribute to their lives. The first book develops a method; the others examine tissues, organs and bodily differences.
Understanding the text
The work transforms zoological description into explanatory questions and defends the philosophical value of studying humble animals.
Key points
- 01
Function
Understanding an organ requires considering what it enables the organism to do, without assigning conscious intention to nature.
- 02
Conditional necessity
If an animal is to perform a function, particular material properties become necessary for its realization.
- 03
Organized parts
A severed hand is a hand only by name because its functioning depends on the organized living body.
How to read it
Read I.5 followed by an account of one organ to see how the methodological program guides explanation.
Editions & sources
- Consult the reference 1classics.mit.edunew tab
- Consult the reference 2plato.stanford.edunew tab
- Consult the reference 3classics.mit.edunew tab
Summaries and key points are original editorial interpretations. They accompany reading the work and do not replace an edition of the text. Editorial method ↗