Induction and science in Aristotle

• Grant number: 15/11858-1
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research Internship - Doctorate (Direct)
• Start date: August 01, 2015
• End date: November 30, 2015
• Field of knowledge: Humanities - Philosophy - Epistemology
• Principal Investigator: Luiz Henrique Lopes dos Santos
• Grantee: Tomás Roberto Troster
• Supervisor: Francis Wolff
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Filosofia, Letras e Ciências Humanas (FFLCH). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil
• Institution abroad: École Normale Supérieure, Paris (ENS), France
• Associated to the scholarship: 13/00543-4 - Induction, demonstration and the ineffable scientificity of principles in Aristotle, BP.DD

Abstract

The aim of this stage of the research is to understand the process by which Aristotle produces principles of science by induction - and, more specifically, understand the induction of common principles or logical principles. Four texts will be analysed: Prior Analytics I, 2, in which the philosopher shows the process of conversion of terms in prepositions; Prior Analytics I, 4, in which Aristotle presents the first figure of the deduction; Topics II, 8, where the philosopher establishes the now called contraposition; and, finally, Metaphysics IV, 4, where the principle of non-contradiction is analyzed and demonstrated by refutation. Through this study, we want to show that even in the setting of logical principles, Aristotle conceives more than one kind of induction. (AU)