Empeiria in Aristotle

Abstract

Plato and Aristotle agree that the best kind of thinking involves grasping and understanding entities different from sensible particulars. Second, they seem to agree that, for human beings, the perception of particulars is an indispensable step along the way to the understanding of the best objects. Third, they agree t h a t a n important part of the philosopher's job is to give a n account of the states and processes involved in the move from perception to understanding. One final point of agreement is t h a t the states of belief and experience ( e m p e i r i a ) stand in between perception and understanding. That is, Plato and Aristotle agree that belief and empeiria are closer than (mere) perception to understanding but still inferior to it.My primary goal in what follows is to give a n account of Aristotle's concept of e m p e i r i a t h a t illuminates the concept, isolates its connection with the notion of belief, and shows it to be worth our attention. I have started by mentioning points of agreement between Plato and Aristotle because, although Plato makes little of it, his understanding of e m p e i r i a includes elements crucial for a successful account of Aristotle's, or so I hope to show.

Aristotle's Cognitive Science: Belief, Affect and Rationality

“… Empeiria in Aristotle (and, to a lesser extent, in Plato) has been the focus of considerable scholarly attention. For a representative sampling, see Scott , Butler , LaBarge , and Gregoric and Grgic , with further development in Gregoric . …”

Dewey and “the Greeks:” Inquiry and the Organic Spirit of Greek Philosophy

“…Instead, they spoke of empeiria as a middle state between perception on the one hand and knowledge on the other, but with a firm foothold in each. In this way, experience was, at once, in and of the world and, although it involved some measure of practical success, was not strictly identical with craft, or "technē" (Butler, 2003). Although Greek thinkers like Plato and Aristotle may have disagreed about the make-up of the world around them, one element common in their thought was that experience was a natural event, generated by that world.…”