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Plato on kinds of animals

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Abstract

Some biologists and philosophers of biology have seen in Plato an especially objectionable version of “essentialism” or ‘topology’. Although kinds of animals are mentioned in almost all of Plato's dialogues, in none of them is there an explicity stated doctrine of animal kinds. An examination of the dialogues has, moreover, failed to reveal some implicit but consistent and unambiguous view of kinds that Plato might have held.

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Kitts, D.B. Plato on kinds of animals. Biol Philos 2, 315–328 (1987). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00128836

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00128836

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