2. Aristotle's Opening Statement and the Natural Road in Knowledge

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Lecture Notes

Main Topics #

Aristotle’s Opening Statement of the Metaphysics #

• Text: “All men by nature desire to know” (Greek: identi, better translated as “to understand”)
• The statement operates at the beginning of philosophical inquiry to orient students toward the goodness of knowing
• Three analytical questions: (1) What does it mean? (2) Is it true? (3) Why does he begin with it?

The Meaning of the Opening Statement #

• All men: Universal reference to humanity (not men vs. women, or men vs. boys)
• By nature (physis): Inborn desire, distinguished from custom, choice, or fashion. The word physis connects etymologically to birth
• Desire: A natural inclination, not externally imposed
• To know/understand (identi): Derived from the word “to see”; broader than mere visual knowledge. The English word “to understand” has particular etymological excellence, suggesting knowing what stands under something (causes, grounds)
• The statement asserts that knowing is naturally desired, and therefore both good and possible

Signs Verifying the Truth of the Statement #

Berquist provides multiple examples showing that all men (not just philosophers) naturally desire to know:

• Sensory experience for its own sake: Observing sunsets, rainbows, mountains, oceans—people use their eyes merely to see, not to accomplish anything practical
• Love of stories and narratives: People become engrossed in novels and films even when it interferes with practical duties (gardening, cleaning, sleep)
• Curious distraction by beauty: Beautiful sights distract people from practical concerns (e.g., watching skiers while driving)
• Sporting events: People remain interested in close games based on curiosity about the outcome, not practical benefit, and leave when the game is decided
• Aristotle’s own reasoning: He does not appeal to universal philosophizing or scientific experimentation, but to the universal human use of senses for knowing itself

The Natural Road in Knowledge #

• Definition: The foundational progression from sensation into reason, which is the first and natural path of human understanding
• Why natural? Nature is what is first in a thing; a thing must be what it is before it can be anything else
• Why from senses into reason? Man’s nature is to be an animal with reason. The general (animal nature with senses) develops before the specific (rationality); therefore sensation precedes rational knowledge
• Directional character: The road has an order and progression, advancing from what is more general toward what is more specific, and moving toward the perfection of knowledge

The Connection Between the Road and Wisdom #

• As one progresses along the natural road from sensation into reason, one moves in the direction of wisdom
• Wisdom is understood as the highest perfection of reason (Sophia, literally “savory” or “tasty” knowledge)
• The road is not merely an account of how knowledge develops; it is simultaneously a road toward wisdom as the goal
• Aristotle strategically takes up the natural road not primarily to give a complete account of it, but to use it for understanding what wisdom is and what knowledge aims at

Key Arguments #

The Innateness of the Desire to Know #

• All humans naturally desire knowledge, not merely philosophers or scientists
• This is demonstrated through universal human behaviors involving sensory curiosity and narrative interest
• The fact that something is naturally desired is a strong sign that it is not merely apparently good but actually good
• Nature does not give us desires that are impossible to fulfill; therefore the desire to know must be satisfiable

The Logical Structure of the Natural Road #

Syllogistic form:

• Major premise: The first road in our knowledge is the natural road
• Middle term: Nature is the cause of orders; the natural road is made by nature
• Minor premise: The natural road is from sensation into reason
• Conclusion: The first road in our knowledge is from sensation into reason

The reasoning:

• Nature must be first in a thing (a thing must be what it is before anything else)
• Man’s nature is to be an animal with reason
• In development, what is general appears before what is specific
• Therefore, the sensory (animal) aspect develops before the rational aspect
• Therefore, the natural road proceeds from sensation into reason

The Etymology and Meaning of Hodas (Road) #

• Hodas is a concrete Greek word for an actual road; it has been metaphorically applied to the progression of knowledge
• The metaphor is not arbitrary but based on a real likeness: both physical roads and the road of knowledge involve order and progression
• Related words: odometer (meter of the road/distance)
• In Christian context (hodas = Latin via): Christ says “I am the road, the truth, and the life,” ascending from what pertains to him as man (the road) to what pertains to him as God (truth and life)
• In Summa Theologiae III, Thomas explains Christ as the via by which man tends toward God

Important Definitions #

Physis (Nature) #

• That which comes from birth; the essential character of a thing
• The source of natural orders and progressions
• Etymologically connected to the word for birth
• Contrasted with custom, choice, and fashion

Hodas (Road/Way) #

• Literally: a physical road or path
• Metaphorically: an order and progression in knowledge, with before and after
• Central to understanding how knowledge advances naturally from sensation toward reason and ultimately wisdom

Identi (To Understand/To Know) #

• Greek word used by Aristotle, derived from the word “to see”
• Better translated as “to understand” than “to know”
• Related to intellectual vision and comprehension of what stands under things (causes)

Wisdom (Sophia) #

• In Greek and Latin (Sapida Scientia), literally “savory” or “tasty” knowledge
• The highest perfection of reason
• Knowledge pursued for its own sake, not for making or doing
• Distinguished from practical wisdom (phronesis) by its focus on first causes and principles

Examples & Illustrations #

Universal Human Behaviors Demonstrating the Desire to Know #

• Sunsets and rainbows: People pause to observe natural beauty not to accomplish anything practical
• Flowers: People smell flowers for the sake of the sensory experience, not to eat them
• Novels and films: A practical woman became so engrossed in a Russian spy novel that she neglected her gardening and cleaning, despite her practical nature
• Stories: Children want to know what happens when Little Red Riding Hood reaches her grandmother’s house
• Jokes: People want to hear the punchline; forgetting it causes frustration
• Sporting events: In a tied game going into the ninth inning, spectators remain seated despite the practical advantage of leaving early to avoid traffic

The Etymology of “Understand” #

• The English word “understand” suggests knowing what stands under something
• A cause or ground stands under effects; wisdom consists in knowing causes
• Words stand under things they name; to understand a name is to know what it stands for
• This etymological richness makes “understand” a superior translation to “know”

The Analogy of Recall #

• When asked what you did yesterday, you naturally recall yesterday first, then the day before, then further back
• This natural order of recall mirrors the structure of Aristotle’s proems and epilogues in the Metaphysics and Nicomachean Ethics

Questions Addressed #

What does it mean that “all men by nature desire to know”? #

• All men: Universal reference to all humans, not a subset
• By nature: Inborn, from birth; natural inclination distinguished from custom, choice, or fashion
• Desire: Natural inclination without external compulsion
• To know: Better translated as “to understand,” involving intellectual comprehension of what stands under things
• The statement applies universally to the entire human race

Is the statement true? #

• Yes, Aristotle provides multiple signs:
  • Universal human use of senses for knowing itself (observing beauty without practical purpose)
  • Universal human interest in stories and narrative
  • The distraction caused by curious interest even when impractical
  • The continued attention to sporting events based on curiosity about outcomes
• These behaviors demonstrate that knowing is naturally desired across all human cultures and conditions

Why does Aristotle begin with this statement? #

• To establish that knowing is naturally desired, and therefore both good and possible
• To orient students toward understanding wisdom as knowledge pursued for its own sake (not for making or doing)
• To connect the natural human desire to know with the philosophical pursuit of wisdom
• To prepare for understanding what wisdom is by establishing that knowledge itself is a good worth pursuing
• To ground the investigation in a universal human experience, not merely specialist concerns

What is the first road in our knowledge? #

• The natural road from sensation into reason
• This is first because nature is what is first in a thing
• This is natural because it follows from man’s essential nature as an animal with reason
• This is the foundational path all human knowledge follows
• It is simultaneously a road toward wisdom, the perfection of reason

Notable Quotes #

“All men by nature desire to know.” — Aristotle, opening of the Metaphysics

“The Greek word for to know is the word identi, which comes from the word to see. So it might be more accurate to translate, all men by nature desire to understand.” — Berquist, on the proper translation

“Nature, or the Greek word corresponding to that, phousis, they both seem to come from the word for birth.” — Berquist, on the etymology of physis

“Man is born to know.” — St. Thomas Aquinas (Latin: homo natus est ad sciendum), cited by Berquist

“The philosopher differs from the sophist by his choice of life.” — Aristotle, cited by Berquist on the distinction between wisdom and the appearance of wisdom

“Too soon old, too late wise.” — German proverb, cited by Berquist’s barber in Worcester, illustrating the association of wisdom with age and the end of knowledge

“In love, which graybeards call divine.” — Shakespeare, illustrating the connection between wisdom, age, and understanding

“You’re old before you’re wise.” — The Fool to King Lear, cited by Berquist

“To play the young man is to play the fool.” — English saying, demonstrating the association between youth and foolishness, age and wisdom