Aristotle

Introduction

Along with Socrates and Plato, Aristotle laid the foundations of Western philosophy. Although he studied under Plato and admired his teacher’s search for eternal “forms” (or universal truths), Aristotle ultimately focused his attention on the particulars of human life, gaining knowledge by observation and experience. He turned his mind to all areas of study—ethics, politics, logic, government, physics, biology, rhetoric, metaphysics, poetry, drama, and music. The wide nature of Aristotle’s thought helped him to develop a comprehensive system of philosophy that still influences Western culture today. Aristotelian philosophy has even had a profound influence on both Christian and Islamic religious thought.

Essential Facts

1. Aristotle was born into an aristocratic family in 384 BC. His father was the personal physician to the King of Macedon.
2. In 367 BC, Aristotle went to Plato’s academy as a student, but he later became a teacher there. After Plato’s death in 347 BC, Aristotle renewed his connections to the Macedonian court and became a tutor to the king’s son, the future Alexander the Great.
3. Unfortunately for modern scholars, only a small portion (approximately one-third) of Aristotle’s writing has survived. He composed two types of works, one designed for the general public and another designed specifically for students and teachers of philosophy. It is believed that it is the latter collection that remains today, which would explain the extremely dense nature of the material.
4. Aristotle’s extant works can be divided into five categories: logic, physical works, psychological works, philosophical works, and natural history. Some of his most studied volumes today include Nicomachean Ethics, Politics, Rhetoric, and Poetics.
5. There is a wonderful fresco, School of Athens, by the Renaissance painter Raphael that captures the difference between Aristotle and Plato, his teacher. Plato is pictured as old and wise. In one hand he is holding a copy of his book Timaeus; with the other he is pointing toward the heavens in a gesture symbolic of his search for eternal forms. Next to Plato stands Aristotle, a younger yet mature man who is well dressed and earthbound. He is holding a copy of his Nicomachean Ethics in one hand, and with the other he is reaching out, a gesture symbolic of his study, observation, and experience of the natural world.