“In many passages and not just in the zoological treatises Aristotle ascribes sociability, skills and intelligence to other animals as well as to humans. He offers two types of account of such characters in HA VIII 1, one in terms of differences in degree (the more and the less) the other in terms of analogical differences. Focussing on four traits in particular (care for offspring, skills in providing protection and shelter, skills in hunting and the provision of food, and complexity of social organisation) I shall examine the factors that tell in favour of each of these two accounts – and the possible tension between them. What is at stake are points in Aristotle’s philosophy of language (his analysis of grades of similarity and difference) and his concept of nature, as well as in his psychology and his ethics.” Geoffrey Lloyd
Colloquium
Aristotle on the Natural Sociability, Skills and Intelligence of Animals
Sir Geoffrey Lloyd