The conception of animals in Aristóteles

Abstract

The present writing is intended to make an approach to the conception of animals in Aristotle’s work, dealing with the ethical and biological context, showing first of all the notion of animal, from the perspective of its metaphysical definitions, that is to say, its hilomorphic conception, pointing out with it, that thinking about animals involves the study of physis in an ontological sense. Secondly, it is explored the notion of aisthesis or sensibility, as a complex principle of organisms, not only in order to allude to sentience but to the intelligence of living beings. In such regard, the notion of psyqué will be of the utmost importance in this investigation. The study of animals under Aristotle’s viewpoint allows us to make a connection between ethics and biology, establishing connections of moral consideration towards animals, that will be a starting point to think of the phrónesis, that is to say, the idea of a practical thinking in the non-human animal, showing some progress that was made in ancient philosophy towards the possible recognition and inclusion of animals in a moral community.