Changes

In contrast to Prior Analytics which defined syllogisms with respect to their forms, Aristotle deals with syllogisms’ content in Posterior Analytics. The reason to take a look at the distinction is much akin to why checking the validity of an argument is not enough to ascertain it as a good argument. The form of a syllogism lies in the connection between the premises and conclusion. However, even when there is no problem with the form, the matter of the premises or the conclusion may be problematic. To clarify what type of content is problematic, Aristotle explains what good content looks like.

Primarily, all knowledge must be formed on existing matter. Anything formed outside the scope of what is already known is not useful information . Knowledge is not opinion and one cannot hold knowledge about something while holding an opinion on it simultaneously . Furthermore, the existing matter or principles on which information is founded must be demonstrable, and if not demonstrable then they must be self-evident.

Aristotle concludes Posterior Analytics with a comment on foundationalism. While dissatisfied with apriori foundationalism, at his core, Aristotle is an aposteriori foundationalist. Knowledge claims cannot infinitely regress, and they must not be formed from apriori principles.

For Aristotle, scientific knowledge comes from an understanding of a thing in terms of what causes it . Generally, Aristotle divides causes into four categories :