The Scientific and Dialectical Aspects of Aristotle’s Method in Politics I 1-2, 4-6, and 13

Abstract

Traditionally, it has been maintained that the methodology of practical philosophy is primarily dialectical (Owen, Barnes, Nussbaum, Irwin). However, in the first decade of this century, a renewed interpretative approach has emerged. On the one hand, this approach defends the thesis that the “method of the ἔνδοξα” is limited in Eudemian Ethics, Nicomachean Ethics and Politics; on the other hand, it argues that the methodology of practical philosophy adheres to important features of the methodology found in the Posterior Analytics (Salmieri, Natali, Karbowski, Falcon). This study aligns with this latter perspective and seeks to offer an integrationist interpretation. That is, it aims to acknowledge both the presence of elements from the theory of definition described in Posterior Analytics and aspects of dialectic presented in the Topics. From this perspective, we intend to examine the methodological approach employed by Aristotle in Politics I, with the hypothesis that the methodological procedures used in Politics I 1-2, 4-6, and 13 share significant characteristics both with the general scientific parameters described in Posterior Analytics and with certain aspects of dialectic presented in the Topics.