Structure of the Argument of Aristotle's Politics I: Description, Definition and Explanation
Keywords:
Aristotle, Politics, Principle, Definition, Structure, MethodologyAbstract
The current discussion on Aristotle's expository method in the area of practical philosophy has as its goal to reverse the once predominant exegetical paradigm according to which different forms of dialectics constitute the only path of investigation (Owen, Aubenque, Barnes). Such a paradigm has been subjected to a critical revision and the use of the “Analytic method” in ethical works has been invoked as an alternative (Natali, Karbowski). Our reading of Politics I assumes this new interpretive line but aims to go further in order to pay attention to the way in which Aristotle deals with the explanation of various phenomena (hence the use of descriptions), the elaboration of principles (definitions) and the construction of demonstrations (explanations). So, our reading hypothesis is that in the initial chapters of Politics I a set of definitions are developed that are the basis, sc., are the premises, of the subsequent demonstrations. These definitions are configured from a particular empirical base but acquire their principled validity only in developments where they can be the basis of different explanations or demonstrations.
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