Aristotle's Use of "Genus" in Logic, Philosophy and Science

Abstract

In Metaphysics Delta.28, Aristotle provides four uses of the term "genus", which he then summarises in three separate accounts. The purpose of this dissertation is first, to explain each of the uses given by Aristotle, second, to explain how his summary of the four uses by three accounts is justified, and third, to examine some philosophical applications of each use. I will relate the different uses to each other as far as entailments can be established, and show that the focal, if not the most common sense of genus, corresponds to the use of genus as the substratum of differentiate, given in Aristotle's summary as the view that the genus is the matter. In the role of substratum, the genus is fundamental to Aristotle's account of the unity of an organic substance and ground a profound metaphysics thesis: the proximate genus is a necessary constituent in the nature and persistence of material objects.