Aristotle is known as the "Father of Western Philosophy." While his greatest contributions to the world lay in philosophy, logic, and ethics, he also wrote scientific texts. In "On the Motion of Animals," Aristotle presents a theory regarding animal movement. The text pairs well with another work by Aristotle, "On the Gait of Animals."
"On Dreams" is part of Aristotle's Parva Naturalia, a collection of works on the phenomena of human life. In this treatise, he hypothesizes that we dream because our sensory organs continue to function while we sleep. He compares dreams to hallucinations-errors in our sense perception. Aristotle's view of dreams influenced philosopher Thomas Hobbes and psychologist Sigmund Freud, and it continues to fascinate readers today.
This Aristotelian treatise makes up part of the philosopher's Parva Naturalia, which is Latin for "short treatises on nature." In this text, he presents his ideas about the human senses. He connects each sense to an element-sight to water, touch to earth, etc. While Aristotle's view of the senses is scientifically inaccurate in many ways, this treatise is a fascinating read for anyone interested in learning more about how the ancients understood the world.
