Il paradigma astronomico nella costruzione della teoria aristotelica della scienza

This paper aims to highlight the role that classical astronomy played in the construction
of Aristotle’s theory of science. In Posterior Analytics the astronomical
approach appears to be the main source of inspiration for the distinction between
knowledge of a fact and knowledge of the reason why, on which the scientific
process is grounded. According to the general ideas of Aristotelian doctrine,
these two levels of knowledge, identified respectively by empirical and rational
disciplines, are not separate but collaborate in collecting and explaining natural
phenomena. This view seems to be a generalization of the actually adopted astronomical
method in classical Greece, which was characterized by the geometrical
demonstration of observed astral properties. The astronomical approach is consistent
with the Aristotelian project of the apodictic treatment of appearances,
since both are based on the connection between experience and rationality.
Unlike geometry, classical astronomy provided a suitable model of demonstrail
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tive science which could be successfully applied to other fields of knowledge
dealing with sensitive data, as harmonics, optics and biology.

Keywords: Aristotle, astronomy, science, demonstration, experience