other Aristotelian categories such as time , relation , place , and quantity , stating in his Repastinatio dialectice et philosophie that these other categories are included in quality and action ( Nauta ). Through this bold reduction of the ten accepted Aristotelian categories down to just three groups , Valla demonstrated the possibility of alternatives to the traditional Aristotelian structure . Valla also attacked the fundamenta ( foundations ) of Aristotelian-scholastic metaphysics and natural philosophy . He argued that many of Aristotle ’ s claims did not have factual , commonplace evidence supporting them , and rejected numerous fundamental Aristotelian beliefs and theories . For example , Valla rejected Aristotle ’ s claim that “ leaden missiles shot out by force melt in the air ,” because people had never actually seen missiles shot out of a cannon do that before ( Nauta ). Valla ’ s emphasis on real experiences and observable facts contrasted the way people had analyzed arguments and viewed evidence during the Middle Ages , and many scholars believe that this was a precursor to the empiricism of the Scientific Revolution that developed from Renaissance thinking ( Nauta , Common Sense 2 ). Valla ’ s radical thought process was a step away from the standard philosophy of the Middle Ages and towards more modern , critical thinking . Valla also expressed his criticism of Aristotle ’ s Sophistical Refutations , a collection of deceptive arguments that medieval scholars were taught to avoid . Valla believed that , rather than avoiding such fallacies , scholars should learn to see through the deceptive strategies by focusing on the meaning and context of an argument ( Nauta ). This approach was used by philosophers throughout the Renaissance , and was an early example of critical , evidencebased analysis . Valla later demonstrated the effectiveness of this method in his examination and refutation of church documents .
Valla implemented his use of critical philology to dispute major church documents , undermining the Church ’ s authority and serving as a precursor
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