On the Generation of Animals

This translation of Aristotle’s ON THE GENERATION OF ANIMALS by David Bolotin aims above all at fidelity to the Greek. Hence, he tries to convey the meaning, to the extent possible in English, of Aristotle’s every word. Bolotin’s translation is a sequel to his translation of DE ANIMA (On Soul) and, more immediately, to his translation of PARVA NATURALIA: with ON THE MOTION OF ANIMALS. As Bolotin argues in his Introduction, it seems likely that, at least at some point, Aristotle intended for this treatise to be read immediately after ON THE MOTION OF ANIMALS and before the final two treatises of the PARVA NATURALIA. At all events, the beginning of the treatise explicitly links its theme of the generation of animals to the question of the cause of motion as such, a question that is brought into focus in ON THE MOTION OF ANIMALS. For those who wish to study ON THE GENERATION OF ANIMALS with care, this translation offers access that has hitherto been unavailable in English.

David Bolotin is a retired teacher from St. John’s College in Santa Fe, New Mexico. He is the author of PLATO’S DIALOGUE ON FRIENDSHIP and AN APPROACH TO ARISTOTLE’S PHYSICS. He is also the translator of Aristotle’s DE ANIMA and PARVA NATURALIA: with ON THE MOTION OF ANIMALS.