Aristotle's Classification of Animals: Biology and the Conceptual Unity of the Aristotelian Corpus

Aristotle’s classification of animals, and indeed his approach to biology, challenges modern assumptions about scientific progress. Historians often view Aristotle’s attempts at classification as incomplete precursors to the rigorous taxonomies of later scientists, such as Linnaeus, but this perspective may impose a retrospective, evolution-based understanding of science onto Aristotle's distinct worldview. While it’s clear that Aristotle categorized animals based on their parts, characteri...