Scott Roniger

In this paper I argue that Aristotle presents speech (logos) as the dynamic manifestation of the being of things and hence truth. By highlighting the role of speech, I attempt to amplify what it means to discuss being-as-the-true, one of the four senses of being that Aristotle investigates in the Metaphysics. The paper unfolds in three sections. First, I survey some influential reflections on the theme of speech and being in Aristotle. In sections two and three, I consider portions of the Metaphysics that show the intimate connection between speech and being. The first comes from the opening book of the Metaphysics, where Aristotle discusses the manner in which technê is a kind of wisdom. The second passage comes from Metaphysics Book Γ, where Aristotle defends the so-called “principle of non-contradiction.”