Abstract
The purpose of the paper is to show (1) that Aristotle had a kind of criterion of non-creativity in his theory of definition and (2) that he had a requirement for scientific explanations which amounts to finding an interpolation-sentence. The relevant passages can be found in the Posterior Analytics, second book, especially chapters 2, 7, 8, 13.
This is a revised version of a paper which I originally read at the Department of Philosophy at Stanford University in February 1978. At that time (from January to June 1978) I was invited as a guest-professor by the chairman (it was Joe Lambert) of the Department of Philosophy at the University of California at Irvine. I was then the 3rd exchange candidate of our exchange program between the Department of Philosophy at Irvine and ours at the University of Salzburg which we (Joe and me) founded in 1973 and which started in 1975. Since that time many scholars of both departments benefitted a lot from that exchange program. I want therefore to take the opportunity to say my warmest thanks to my friend Joe for the many troubles and for his permanent care for this important program. It is a great pleasure to me to dedicate an essay to him which I have prepared during my stay in Irvine.
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References
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© 1991 Kluwer Academic Publishers
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Weingartner, P. (1991). A Note on Aristotle’s Theory of Definition and Scientific Explanation. In: Spohn, W., Van Fraassen, B.C., Skyrms, B. (eds) Existence and Explanation. The University of Western Ontario Series in Philosophy of Science, vol 49. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-011-3244-2_14
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