Source edition
Aristotle. Aristotelis Opera, Volume 6. Bekker, Immanuel, editor. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1837.
Source data
Open Greek and Latin · CC BY-SA 4.0
Cloned and adapted by Humanitext, with ongoing edits.
Summary
This scientific and philosophical work, rooted in the Aristotelian tradition, investigates the essence of plant life, its classification, and its generative and physiological mechanisms. The prologue details the complex history of the text's transmission and translation from Arabic to Latin, and subsequently back into Greek. In the first part, the work defines plants as "intermediate" entities that lack sensation and desire but possess a soul responsible for nutrition and growth, comparing them with animals while outlining the basic classifications of trees and herbs as well as cultivation techniques. The second part shifts focus to the physical interactions of heat, moisture, earth, and air, explaining the generation of plants across diverse environments. Finally, the text systematically accounts for various physiological phenomena—such as leaf-fall, fruiting cycles, the formation of resin, and differences in fruit flavors—through thermodynamic and meteorological principles.
Contents
27 chunks
Cited by part.chapter.section
- §prol.1.1-prol.1.8
- §prol.1.9-prol.1.16
- §1.1.1-1.1.11
- §1.1.12-1.1.22
- §1.2.1-1.2.11
- §1.2.12-1.2.20
- §1.3.1-1.3.9
- §1.3.10-1.3.16
- §1.4.1-1.4.8
- §1.4.9-1.4.17
- §1.5.1-1.5.11
- §1.6.1-1.6.9
- §1.7.1-1.7.11
- §2.1.2-2.1.10
- §2.2.1-2.2.9
- §2.2.10-2.2.18
- §2.2.19-2.2.25
- §2.3.1-2.3.8
- §2.3.9-2.3.16
- §2.4.1-2.4.12
- §2.5.1-2.5.3
- §2.6.1-2.6.10
- §2.7.1-2.7.9
- §2.8.1-2.8.11
- §2.9.1-2.9.8
- §2.9.9-2.9.16
- §2.10.1-2.10.9