The Female in Aristotle's Biology: Reason or Rationalization

149 Pages·2004·0.52 MB·English

by  Robert Mayhew

the female in aristotle’s biology

=
the female in aristotle’s biology
reason or rationalization
robert mayhew
The University of Chicago Press
Chicago and London
Robert Mayhew is associate professor of philosophy at Seton
Hall University. He is the author ofAristotle’s Criticism of Plato’s
“Republic.”
The University of Chicago Press, Chicago 60637
The University of Chicago Press, Ltd., London
© 2004 by The University of Chicago
All rights reserved. Published 2004
Printed in the United States of America
13 12 11 10 09 08 07 06 05 04 1 2 3 4 5
isbn:0-226-51200-2 (cloth)
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Mayhew, Robert
The female in Aristotle’s biology : reason or rationalization /
Robert Mayhew.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references (p. ) and index.
isbn0-226-51200-2
1. Misogyny. 2. Women. 3. Aristotle. I. Title.
hq1233 .M359 2004
305.4—dc22
2003019202
(cid:2)(cid:2)The paper used in this publication meets the minimum
requirements of the American National Standard for
Information Sciences–Permanence of Paper for Printed
Library Materials, ansi z39.48-1992.
=
to my daughter, tessa
a constant reminder that Aristotle was wrong about
the inferiority of female intelligence.
and to her older brother, leo
a constant reminder that males can be just as
brilliant as females.

contents
Preface ] ix
Abbreviations ] xi
one Aristotle and “Ideology” ] 1
two Entomology ] 19
three Embryology ] 28
four Eunuchs and Women ] 54
five Anatomy ] 69
six The Softer and Less Spirited Sex ] 92
seven Aristotle on Females: An Assessment of the Biology ] 114
References ] 119
Index Locorum ] 125
Index of Names ] 133
General Index ] 135

preface
Aristotle’s writings on females are notorious. My aim is not to defend them
but to defend Aristotle against the common charge that, in his biological
writings, his conclusions about females are the result not of honest philos-
ophy and science but of “ideology.” I believe such an exploration of the
relevant sections of his biological writings not only clears Aristotle of this
charge but also enables us to better understand the nature of his views and
how he may have come to hold them.
My intended audience is broad. This book should be of interest not
only to scholars of Aristotle’s philosophy and science but also to anyone in-
terested in the history and philosophy of science generally, classical stud-
ies, and women studies. All Greek passages have been translated. For Aris-
totle’s Parts of Animals, I have used James Lennox’s translation in the
Clarendon Aristotle Series (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2001); for
theGeneration of Animals, I have used David Balme’s Clarendon Aristotle
translation of book 1 (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1972) and Peck’s
Loeb Classical Library translation of books 2–5 (Cambridge, Mass.: Har-
vard University Press, 1942). For Aristotle’sHistory of Animals,books 7–10,
I have used David Balme’s Loeb Classical Library translation (Cambridge,
Mass.: Harvard University Press, 1991). (In many cases, I have modified
these translations.) For the rest, unless otherwise indicated, translations
from the Greek are my own.
* * *
A 1997 summer stipend from the Office of Grants and Research at Seton
Hall University enabled me to make a good start on this book; a sabbatical
in the spring of 2001 allowed me to complete a first draft. I wish to express
my gratitude to Seton Hall for its continued support of my research.
ix