Aristotle‘s axiomatic science:peripatetic notation or pedagogical plan?

Abstract

To meet a dilemma between the axiomatic theory of demonstrative science in Posterior analyticsand the non-aximatic practice of demonstrative science in the physical treatises, Jonathan Barnes has proposed that the theory of demonstration was not meant to guide scientific research but rather scientific pedagogy. The present paper argues that far from contributing directly to oral instruction, the axiomatic account of demonstrative science is a model for the written expression of science.The paper shows how this interpretation accords with related theories in the Organon, including the theories of dialectic in Topicsand of deduction in Prior analytics