It is the metaphysics! I am gratefull to be studying Aristotles’ metaphysics in academic context. Since Aristotle has piloted “first philosophy” more than two millenia ago it seems that his thought remains relevant till today.
It is of course easy to point to his fundamental insights into human biology which distinguishes between substance (hyle) and accidents (per accidens) but more importantly Aristotle laid the basics for philosophy as a science.
It is one of the discussions in the Metaphysics, whether first philosophy is to be considered a science. Since Aristotle relates first philosophy to “natural science, mathematics and metaphysics” it seems at first sight that indeed there is a connection between philosophy and science.
Disregarding traditional hierarchies it follows that “mathematical thought” if it is even possible to separate mathematics from first philosophy1 mathematics or doing mathematics requires philosophical axioma as posited in the metaphysics.
The principle of non-contradiction (PNC) which states that something cannot be said to exist and not exist at the same time is necessary to make mathematical inquiries coherent. Another more Pythagorean notion of peripatetic philosophy is the principle of excluded middle which is formally described as (A or not A) compare PNC (not (A and not A))
Following these considerations it is clear why Aristotle is described as “the first teacher” or “the master of those who know.” Now we have argued that first philosophy is in some relation with science from the context of classical philosophy. The relation of Aristotle to his predecessors is a good starting point for debate since Aristotle himself engaged with previous thinkers in a tradition that is continued to this day.
So the position that metaphysics has little to do with science can be maintained but it is a decontextualization of academic “intuition” since Aristotelian methodology still serves as the blueprint of modern knowledge transmission.
- I think it is ↩︎
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