Book A

Abstract

¹ Since the aim of art is to produce something, e.g., steel or houses, and that of intention is action, e.g., temperate or intemperate action, perhaps the aim of inquiry is just knowledge, i.e., truth. Certainly the truths in science (axioms, hypotheses, and theorems) are included, and perhaps some other intellectual virtues, but it is not clear whether ‘inquiry’ applies to other kinds of truths or not. So the problem here is whether the terms ‘inquiry’, ‘art’, ‘action’, and ‘intention’ cover all of men’s activities or just the important ones.