Elsewhere I have argued that it is the interest on life-not an interest in this or that form of life but an interest in life in all its forms and manifestations-that motivates Aristotle to engage in a study of the soul.[1] But how does Aristotle conceive of the study of life and, more importantly, how does he think that his study of the soul contributes to the study of life? I will approach these questions starting from what we are told at the outset of the De sensu, where a link is established between the study of the soul and the study of life: since it was determined before about the soul, next it is to be investigated about animals and everything that has life [De sensu 436 a 1-6].
[1] See A. Falcon, "The Scope and Unity of Aristotle's Investigation of Life," in G. van Riel and P. Destrée (eds.), Ancient Perspectives on Aristotle's De anima. Leuven 2009: 167-181.