A ciência do ser enquanto ser e o estudo da substância (Metafísica G e Z)

Aristotle’s Metaphysics introduces a science that purports to be universal in scope. Some problems concerning its constitution are dealt with in book Γ, where it is presented as a science of substance. In book Z we find a study of substance that could be the research announced in Γ. Despite the evident convergence of the projects found in Γ and Z, a common reading of those books is rendered difficult by internal problems of both texts. The strategy presented in Γ to establish the possibility of a universal science is unclear, and the doctrine of substance laid out in Z is notoriously affected by internal tensions. We propose to look for an understanding of “the science we are searching for” that could both clarify the strategy deployed in Γ and solve the tensions of the concept of substance in Z. With this aim in view, we suggest an account of that science on the basis of its characterization as a second-order science.