StudentShare
Contact Us
Sign In / Sign Up for FREE
Search
Go to advanced search...
Free

The Principle of Contradiction in Aristotle's Poetics - Essay Example

Cite this document
Summary
In the paper “The Principle of Contradiction in Aristotle's Poetics” the author discusses the process of establishing a general proposition by induction or deductive reasoning in which a conclusion is derived from two premises is syllogism or Epagoge…
Download full paper File format: .doc, available for editing
GRAB THE BEST PAPER93.3% of users find it useful
The Principle of Contradiction in Aristotles Poetics
Read Text Preview

Extract of sample "The Principle of Contradiction in Aristotle's Poetics"

The premises of demonstrations are themselves indemonstrable and serve as starting points or first principles within the given domain of inquiry. According to Aristotle, we arrive at these principles by direct derivation from experience, by what is sometimes called "intuitive induction" (epagoge), the results of which are grasped by a special intellectual capacity, nous. Let us follow Aristotle and say that every dialectical argument is either a syllogism or an epagoge (Topics I 12). By 'a dialectical argument' let us mean, as Aristotle does, any argument put forward in conversation, proceeding on premisses admitted by the other party, and not requiring any special knowledge.

It follows that every Socratic elenchus is a dialectical argument. By a 'syllogism' let us not mean, in the narrow modern sense, an argument depending on our insight into the relation of class-inclusion; but, to translate Aristotle's own words, any 'argument in which, after certain propositions have been assumed, there necessarily results in a proposition other than the assumptions because of the assumptions'. This broad sense of the term is certainly the only one Aristotle has in mind throughout the Topics, from which the definition comes (Topics I 1, 100A25); and probably it is also the only one he has in mind even in the Prior Analytics, although he actually studies only class-inclusion inferences there; at any rate, his definition of 'syllogism' at the beginning of that work is only verbally different from the definition in the Topics.

Aristotle has deemed the principle "that the same attribute cannot at the same time belong and not belong to the same subject and in the same respect" the most certain and most prior of all principles, both in the order of nature and in the order of knowledge, and as such it is indemonstrable. The principle of contradiction is involved in any act of rational discourse, and to deny it would be to reduce ourselves to a vegetative state, being incapable of uttering anything with meaning. The way we reach the principle of contradiction is by intuitive grasping (epagoge) from the experience of the particulars, by recognizing the universals in the particulars encountered, and it is different from simple induction, which, in Mill's view, is the process through which we construct a general statement on the basis of a limited sample of observed particulars.

 

Read More
Cite this document
  • APA
  • MLA
  • CHICAGO
(The Principle of Contradiction in Aristotle's Poetics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words, n.d.)
The Principle of Contradiction in Aristotle's Poetics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words. https://studentshare.org/philosophy/1531867-aristotle
(The Principle of Contradiction in Aristotle'S Poetics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 Words)
The Principle of Contradiction in Aristotle'S Poetics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 Words. https://studentshare.org/philosophy/1531867-aristotle.
“The Principle of Contradiction in Aristotle'S Poetics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 Words”. https://studentshare.org/philosophy/1531867-aristotle.
  • Cited: 0 times

CHECK THESE SAMPLES OF The Principle of Contradiction in Aristotle's Poetics

Senior Philosophy Seminar: Plato, Sextus Empiricus, Descartes, Locke, Hume

This assignment "Senior Philosophy Seminar: Plato, Sextus Empiricus, Descartes, Locke, Hume" discusses how Kant disputes with Hume over the nature of our knowledge of cause and effect.... The assignment analyses a priori judgments that are usually analytic or synthetic.... hellip; Cause and effect are based on experience....
17 Pages (4250 words) Assignment

The Constitutional Framework: The influence of Christian theology on our Founding Fathers

For people who followed in aristotle's believe held that God sees himself as god and does not even notice the human beings.... Name Institution Introduction Christianity has been an influencing US as a country since time in memorial.... According to1, its impact can vibrantly be felt in politics and in any political thought....
12 Pages (3000 words) Term Paper

Marx Objectives to Individual Rights

This will require the abolition of private property - both disappear in a new synthesis that will resolve the contradiction.... This research paper "Marx Objectives to Individual Rights" shows that Capitalism is defined by the Collins English Dictionary as an "economic system based on private ownership of industry"....
22 Pages (5500 words) Research Paper

Poetics of Justice by Shakespeare

Shakespeare's poetics of Justice Introduction The modification of poetry for the intentions of philosophy is what Martha Nussbaum tried to accomplish in her emphasis on the ‘poetics of justice.... Nussbaum firmly claims that a good judge appreciates the poetics of justice....
11 Pages (2750 words) Essay

Euripides and Aristotle discussion about a tragedy hero

the principle of the absence of cleverness among women is also denied by Euripides.... oreover, Euripides contradicts with the second principle of a perfect tragedy hero.... A perfect tragedy hero was determined by Aristotle and in the works of ancient philosophers and writers aristotle's claim can be discussed further on....
5 Pages (1250 words) Essay

Philosopher's Biography: Aristotle

It clearly shows that aristotle's ancestors were highly qualified and respectable citizens of their times, though no one could reach the height of fame and popularity Aristotle has been blessed with.... This essay "Philosopher's Biography: Aristotle" is about one of the most distinguished personalities the world has ever produced....
9 Pages (2250 words) Essay

International Mangement of Ethics and Values

?? (Standards, 2013) The Triple Bottom Line (TBL) Standard At the core of the TBL standard is the principle of sustainability.... Code of Ethics Case Study: News Corporation Introduction: News Corporation, under the leadership of Rupert Murdoch, has unparalleled power and reach in the news media industry....
8 Pages (2000 words) Assignment

Thomas Aquinas - Law, Morality and Politics

For Aquinas, main morality-generating principle of human nature is its rationality, for instance manifested in human pursuit of a certain good, which underlies any moral law.... Many elements of the world view that underlies todays political institutions and democratic practices are a result of a long chain of developments in history of thought within the field of the political philosophy....
5 Pages (1250 words) Essay
sponsored ads
We use cookies to create the best experience for you. Keep on browsing if you are OK with that, or find out how to manage cookies.
Contact Us