Abstract
In JSVMR 3, the validity of the argument concerning animals that survive division of their bodies (developed already in the previous chapter) is examined with respect to the behaviour that plants exhibit when parts of them are separated from their bodies, in terms of their ability to regenerate themselves. Aristotle considers both plants’ natural reproduction and transplantation and concludes that their generation starts from their middle part. This view enables him to present his findings on animal generation and expand upon his famous experiment on chick eggs. He highlights the important role of the heart in the survival of a living thing, and establishes a connection with the topic of nutrition by referring to the capacity of blood to function as the ultimate nutriment of bodily parts. He also explains why the main sensory part resides in the heart, specifically at the point at which all the senses converge.
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Korobili, G. (2022). Commentary on JSVMR 3. In: Aristotle. On Youth and Old Age, Life and Death, and Respiration 1-6. Studies in the History of Philosophy of Mind, vol 30. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-99966-7_5
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