Darwin vs. Aristotle 2.0

Why Biology Might Reclaim Classical Causation

Aristotle (ca. 384-322 b.c.) was a comprehensive thinker who wrote extensively on biology, physics, astronomy, and other natural sciences, as well as on logic, rhetoric, literary theory, politics, and ethics. His works have been studied almost continuously by serious minds for over 2,000 years. If we measure old books by their continuing influence, then the books of Aristotle belong in the elite class, along with the Bible, the dialogues of Plato, and the plays of Shakespeare.

In some fields, Aristotle's thought has remained influential up to the present day. Nonetheless, in the area of natural science, Aristotle's reputation has taken a number of hits. After the time of Descartes and...