Topics

What it is

Topics is one of Aristotle's six works on logic, grouped together as the Organon. It explains the art of dialectic — constructing arguments from commonly held opinions, called endoxa — and introduces the idea of 'topoi,' or places from which arguments can be found.

Why it matters

The work reflects the debating culture of Plato's Academy, where Aristotle trained before developing his own school of thought. It shows Aristotle trying to systematize how people reason and argue persuasively, distinguishing dialectical, demonstrative, and contentious reasoning — an early attempt to study not just what is true but how people argue about what seems true.

Look closer

• Why might Aristotle want to classify different types of reasoning and arguments?
• What does the idea of 'commonly held opinions' tell us about how ancient Greeks debated?
• How might a handbook like this be useful outside of philosophy, such as in politics or law?