Abstract
Based on the notion of proem as exposed in Aristotle’s
Rhetoric, we examine in detail Metaph. A1. Our goal
is to understand the argument contained in this chapter, as
we also endeavour to show how the Stagirite introduces with
uttermost caution the theme of wisdom [σοφία], that which
is the incarnation of the preeminent science in the first book
of the Metaphysics. The attention we devote to the proem of
this work is explained by the importance we attribute, unlike
much of contemporary scholars, to σοφία, that is, the
science of first causes and principles, which we consider to
be, ultimately, the pivotal formulation of the supreme science
in the Metaphysics.