350 BC
ON THE PARTS OF ANIMALS
by Aristotle
translated by William Ogle
Book I
1
EVERY systematic science, the humblest and the noblest alike,
seems to admit of two distinct kinds of proficiency; one of which
may be properly called scientific knowledge of the subject, while
the other is a kind of educational acquaintance with it. For an
educated man should be able to form a fair off-hand judgement as to
the goodness or badness of the method used by a professor in his
exposition. To be educated is in fact to be able to do this; and
even the man of universal education we deem to be such in virtue of
his having this ability. It will, however, of course, be understood
that we only ascribe universal education to one who in his own
individual person is thus critical in all or nearly all branches of
knowledge, and not to one who has a like ability merely in some
special subject. For it is possible for a man to have this
competence in some one branch of knowledge without having it in all.
It is plain then that, as in other sciences, so in that which
inquires into nature, there must be certain canons, by reference to
which a hearer shall be able to criticize the method of a professed
exposition, quite independently of the question whether the statements
made be true or false
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