Why Necessary, if not Necessary? On the Matter of the Efficient Cause in Aristotle’s De generatione animalium

Joanna Sowa

Since, according to the well-known Aristotelian theory, in the process ofsexual reproduction the male contributes form, and the female matter, in Generation ofAnimals Aristotle tries to prove 1) that there is no necessity for any material substance topass from the male, and 2) that the male does not emit any part such as will remain situatedwithin the fetus; as the strongest proof of this opinion he demonstrates 3) that some malesdo not emit semen. However, the example of insects he quotes to support the last thesisconvinces us of the opposite: even if it is not necessary for the male to emit semen, it isbetter for him to produce it.

Dlaczego potrzebne, skoro niepotrzebne? O materialnym kształcie przyczyny sprawczej w De generatione animalium Arystotelesa

Keywords: Aristotle · Generation of Animals · male · effi cient cause · semen