more on this theme | more from this thinker | more from this text
Full Idea
The principles of demonstrations are definitions.
Gist of Idea
The principles of demonstrations are definitions
Source
Aristotle (Posterior Analytics [c.327 BCE], 90b25)
Book Ref
Aristotle: 'Posterior Analytics (2nd ed)', ed/tr. Barnes,Jonathan [OUP 1993], p.50
A Reaction
This I take to be a key idea linking Aristotle's desire to understand the world, by using demonstrations to reach good explanations. Definitions turn out to rest on essences, so our understanding of the world rests on essences.