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Article: Aristotle: Tradition and Influence
- Article from:
- Complete Dictionary of Scientific Biography
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Aristotle: Tradition and Influence
An account of the Aristotelian tradition would cover, without any interruption, the whole of the intellectual history of the Western world and, in recent times, of other areas as well. On the other hand, the influence of Aristotle
’
s works and doctri
nes on the cultural developments of civilization is, in most fields, elusive and undefinable. Especially in the province of science-if we use
“
science
”
in the stricter, modern sense-it may be found that Aristotle
’
s influence is very limited, or effective only in the sense that mistakes, eliciting opposition, criticism, and new solutions to old and new problems, are the starting ...