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ΓΕΝΟΣ and ΕΙΔΟΣ in Aristotle's Biology

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  11 February 2009

D. M. Balme
Affiliation:
Queen Mary College, London

Extract

It is not certain when or by whom and were first technically distinguished as genus and species. The distinction does not appear in Plato's extant writings, whereas Aristotle seems to take it for granted in the Topics, which is usually regarded as among his earliest treatises. In his dialogues Plato seems able to use interchangeably to denote any group or division in a diairesis, including the group that is to be divided.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © The Classical Association 1962

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References

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page 83 note 1 D.L. 4. 2. 13. Xenocrates would probably have meant the non-technical sense, as used in his fr. 9 (H.):

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page 83 note 5 Ross ad 1058b28. Cf. Long. Vit. 465a2–6, H.A. 497b9–12 (both discussed below).

page 83 note 6 vocat rem definiendam, Waitz ad 141b28.

page 83 note 7 Top. 123a30; cf. 127a24; Bonitz, , Arist. Stud. iv. 355.Google Scholar

page 84 note 1 Top. 107a22, Cat. 1b21; Bonitz, , Ind. 151a45.Google Scholar

page 84 note 2 Phys. 227b14.

page 84 note 3 An. Post. 96b15, 97a35–b6; Met. 1034a7.

page 84 note 4 G.A. 4. 3 (cf. 769b9).Google Scholar

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page 84 note 7 Met. 1038a19–26; P.A. 644a3.

page 84 note 8 G.A. 747b33–748a7. (At 770b17, 772b25 means the formal cause opposed to

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page 87 note 1 As also perhaps in Plato's diairesis: cf. Diès, , Plat. Polit., p. xxi.Google Scholar

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page 90 note 1 Following Camus, and followed by Thompson; so Waitz ad 19b6.

page 91 note 1 Düring, thinks not (Arist.'s P.A., Critical and Literary Commentaries, p. 130).Google Scholar

page 93 note 1 Karsch, Külb, Tricot also take copulative, but as simply ‘nameless’.

page 93 note 2 This is true of (cf. 506a20, 509b8), but doubtful of ; cf. my paper quoted above.

page 93 note 3 511a14–16; Meyer, , p. 312.Google Scholar

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page 94 note 2 Cf. 506a20, 508a5, 509b8, 558a 15, 609a1.

page 95 note 1 Interchangeable at 725b27 746a30 746b3 cf. H.A. 620a22 564a5 interchangeable at 747b30–748a15.

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page 96 note 3 But see above on 488b30 and 491a18: such misstatements might cause an unwary reader to take as ‘within a species’.

page 97 note 1 Cf. Top. 103a14, 108a15, 133b2, An. Pr. 26a8, 28a32, Met. 1016a27, 1038b18, 1058a4, al.; P.A. 1. 639a25.

page 97 note 2 At G.A. 730b35 means ‘kind’ in general, not species as opposed to genus: A. did not think that interbreeding was limited to specifically identical animals, cf. 746a29 f.

page 97 note 3 Cf. H.A. 584b29, P.A. 655b15, 656a7, 16, 676b33, G.A. 731b35. 767b33. 777b5.

page 98 note 1 Cf. Schneider, ad Theophr, . H.P. 6. 1. 2.Google Scholar

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