A scala naturae de Aristóteles na obra De generatione animalium

• Ano de defesa: 2010
• Autor(a) principal: Ariza, Fabiana Vieira
• Orientador(a): Martins, Lilian Al-Chueyr Pereira
• Tipo de documento: Dissertação
• Tipo de acesso: Acesso aberto
• Idioma: por
• Instituição de defesa: Pontifícia Universidade Católica de São Paulo
• Programa de Pós-Graduação: Programa de Estudos Pós-Graduados em História da Ciência
• Departamento: História da Ciência
• País: BR
• Palavras-chave em Português: Scala naturae; Classificação dos animais; Aristoteles > De generatione animalium > Critica e interpretacao; Zoologia > Obras anteriores a Lineu; Zoologia > Classificacao
• Palavras-chave em Inglês: Classification of animals
• Área do conhecimento CNPq: CNPQ::CIENCIAS HUMANAS::HISTORIA::HISTORIA DAS CIENCIAS
• Link de acesso: https://tede2.pucsp.br/handle/handle/13452

The aim of this dissertation is to discuss in a broad way the conception of scala naturae, a prevailing view in the Western thought for many centuries. It will discuss particularly, in which way such idea was present in Aristotle s work De generatione animalium. It will describe Aristotle s methodology, as well as, trying to elucidate if Aristotle had intended to present a classification of animals. If so, which criteria he had used to draw it. Besides that, it will try to find which view he held about the origin of animals. This dissertation contains an introduction and four chapters. Chapter 1 discusses the idea of scala naturae from Antiquity to 19th century. Chapter 2 deals with some respects of Aristotle s life and writings, emphasizing the ones in which he studied the living beings. It also discusses some concepts adopted by him. Chapter 3 analyses the idea of scala naturae in De generatione animalium, as well as, the criteria he had used to draw his scale. Chapter 4 provides some final remarks on the subject. This study led to the conclusion that Aristotle invested lots of energy in classifying the great groups of animals which were arranged in his scale of perfection, contrary to the view held by some authors. The main criterion adopted by him was the vital heat of animals. Moreover, he did not present a sketch of his scale, although it was implicit in his writings. Besides that, there is no idea of organic evolution in Aristotle s scale of perfection. It represents just an arrangement of the great groups of animals. In this way, it is in harmony with his cosmological view