SOURCE: "Empirical Research in Aristotle's Biology," in Philosophical Issues in Aristotle's Biology, edited by Allan Gotthelf and James G. Lennox, Cambridge University Press, 1987, pp. 53-64.

In the following essay, Lloyd surveys the sources and types of empirical data Aristotle used in developing his biological treatises. Lloyd notes that while Aristotle does not always adhere to his methodology, he at least states his methodological principles. In conclusion, Lloyd emphasizes that despite the limitations of Aristotle's work, one should not undervalue the vast scope of his achievements in the area of biological inquiry.

The range of Aristotle's investigations in zoology is such that a discussion of his use of empirical methods has to be drastically selective. Yet the need to come to some assessment of his performance in this field is all the more pressing in that it has been subject to such divergent judgments. Some of the most extravagant...