Scientific Methods and the Science of Living Things

This TIDA subproject is approached through two complementary subprojects:

1. One subproject investigates how Aristotle’s concept of truth informs his explanation of mental states and of the ways in which they can be bearers of truth and falsehood. The goal of the present investigation is to produce an exhaustive taxonomy of mental states and their relationship to truth and falsehood.
2. The second subproject investigates living things that are cognizers and perceivers. Here, a focus lies on the relationship of cognizers and perceivers to the things cognized and perceived. Aristotle is aware of a threat to any robust account of cognition and perception, namely the relativist idea put forward by thinkers such as Protagoras according to which the objects of cognition and perception depend on the minds of cognizers and perceivers. This project reconstructs Aristotle’s response to this challenge and argues that Aristotle defends a realist account.