22 ARISTOTLE'S METHOD. 



exemplifies Plato's ideas about those who would make ob- 

 servation by the senses a groundwork of true knowledge. 



The facts, of which many parts of Aristotle's writings 

 on the Natural Sciences are so full, were collected by him to 

 serve an important purpose in connection with his method 

 of investigation. He says that the characters of animals 

 should first be ascertained before any attempt is made to 

 explain the causes,* and similarly in connection with other 

 subjects he relies on a preliminary ascertainment of facts to 

 serve as the groundwork for processes of inductive reasoning. 

 The importance of this he seems to have been the first to 

 appreciate fully. It has even been said that the inductive 

 method was due to him, but this must be accepted with 

 some qualification. Many thousands before his time em- 

 ployed that method, at least unconsciously. Aristotle was 

 the first, however, to lay down rules according to which 

 inductive reasoning should proceed, and, still more important, 

 he pointed out the value of the inductive method. To this 

 extent, at least, the method is Aristotle's. 



Many passages might be cited to show that he was aware 

 of the need for obtaining data by observation before coming 

 to a conclusion, but a few will be sufficient. He begins his 

 description of the reproduction of bees, in G. ^. iii. c. 10, by 

 pointing out how difficult the subject is, and, after discussing 

 it at great length with the aid of observations on the habits 

 of bees, says that the phenomena were not sufficiently un- 

 derstood, but that, if ever they were to be, the evidences of 

 the senses should be relied on rather than abstract reasoning, 

 but that this should be trusted, provided its conclusions 

 agree with the phenomena.! Again, speaking of possible 

 hermaphroditism in fishes, he says that no males had been 

 seen among the Erytlirinoi, yet the females were full of pro- 

 ducts of sexual generation, but adds that he had not so far been 

 able to obtain any result worthy of credit on this subject. | 



Again, when dealing with animals generally, he often 

 recommends his readers to examine the facts for themselves 

 by dissecting the animals, and in P. A. iv. c. 5, 680<x, when 

 describing some of the internal parts of his Ostrakodenna, 

 he says that, while some of the parts can be clearly described 

 in words, there are others which should be understood from 

 an actual inspection of them. The thoroughness with which 

 he proposed to investigate living beings is set out in P. ^, 



* P. .4. i. c. 5, 6456. f G. A. iii. c. 10, 7606. t O. A. ii. c. 5, 741a. 



