Aristotle

Truly one of the world's greatest thinkers, Aristotle dominated scientific thought for centuries after his death. Even after the "scientific revolution" produced by such men as Copernicus, Galileo, Kepler, and Newton, his classical influence continued to be felt. Why was this so? Why should a Greek philosopher and naturalist living more than 300 years before the Christian era make his influence so felt? The history of science-indeed history itself-provides many reasons. Most important, Aristotle was the first exponent of the inductive approach to scientific investigation. Further, his genius for organization gathered not only the whole knowledge of the ancient world together, but added his own research to it. Almost every known branch of science came under Aristotle's scrutiny, and his conclusions influenced later work in many fields such as logic, metaphysics, biology, anatomy, astronomy, geometry, zoology, geology, and many more. Today, many of Aristotle's theories are known to be inaccurate, yet his brilliant legacy of pure thought and logic mark an unforgettable scientific milestone. This edition of the book includes additional illustrations such as people mentioned in the text, several maps, and many drawings of animals. Various woodcuts and engravings from the 1400s all the way to the 1910s have been chosen. Also included is the first English translation of Aristotle's Ode to Virtue, published in 1655.