Artistotle's "History of Animals"

Paper Summary:

This paper examines how, aside from philosophy and the more psychological arts, Aristotle's greatest contribution to modern science is probably his writings on zoology. It looks at how, in the nine books of his "History of Animals", Aristotle observes animals in their habitats and uses dissection to discover the mysteries inside the animal body. 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.

From the Paper:

"In his scientific research, Aristotle established scientific methodology today. He for example used dialectical (based on logical deduction) and empirical (practical) arguments to present his research findings. He furthermore used detailed observation and dissection in order to present clear and scientific arguments in his work. He was in fact the first scientist to make extensive use of dissection for his studies. This practice enabled Aristotle to describe phenomena such as the embryological development of a chick, to distinguish dolphins from fish and to describe the chambered stomachs of ruminants. He was also able to examine the social organization of bees, and he noticed that some sharks give birth to live young."

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