Aristotle claimed that water had “gravity” and fire had “levity” and that these properties made them go downward and upward, respectively. It now seems obvious that Aristotle was merely describing the motion of these elements and not really explaining it–much as William James did when he attributed behavior to instinct. By the way, that’s Plato and Aristotle standing together under the arch in Raphael’s 1509 masterpiece The School of Athens.
VISIONS OF AMERICA, LLC/ALAMY