...Running head: ARISTOTLE Aristotle Lakeela McClinton, Daniel Ogden and Casara Williams University of Phoenix Aristotle For many centuries there have been many philosophers that are remembered throughout history. Some are remembered only for their small impacts years later through books and secondhand information. Philosophy still holds a special place within society due to many philosophers that have spanned one’s lifetime current and not so current. This biography will focus on the philosopher Aristotle. The views and contributions of this man will come into play through this essay along with background information including birth, birthplace, and teen years leading to his last days. Aristotle will be described through his learning during the most critical years including his key concepts and style of philosophy during the period in which he resided and his key influences through his lifespan and the effects that he has on society today. Bright Future In 384 BC Aristotle was born in a small town called Stageira, Chalcidice around the fourth century in northern Greece. Aristotle was born to Nicomachus who was a very well know physician in his era. Aristotle’s father Nicomachus personally attended to King Amyntas of Macedon. During this time Aristotle became suited to be trained and educated like a member of Aristocracy through the will of his father due to their stature in the society, being they were middle class individuals. There is no clear and reliable source for...
Words: 2394 - Pages: 10
...What is politics? For centuries humans have argued constantly about everything. There is always someone who disagrees with another human’s point of view. When discussing politics there are numerous questions that require answers. What will be discussed in this essay is the question many people have longed to have an answer for. What is politics? By regurgitating Aristotle and Thomas Hobbes in this essay, we will get to define politics. Aristotle believes that man is naturally geared towards the well being of a community whereas Thomas Hobbes believes the exact opposite. Hobbes believes that humans are individually minded and only focus on themselves. By elucidating both point of views we will then be able to decide for ourselves which one of these authors seems to be more right in defining what is politics. While reading Aristotle’s book Politics Aristotle firmly asserts that the city-state exists by nature. He writes: A complete community constituted out of several villages, once it reaches the limit of total self-sufficiency, practically speaking, is a city-state. It comes to be for the sake of living, but it remains in existence for the sake of living well. That is why every city-state exists by nature since the first communities do. (Page 3 Lines 26-30). Once a community fully becomes independent and does not require any outside help in satisfying their needs that is when a community becomes a city-state. Here we see Aristotle’s assertion that a “city-state exists by...
Words: 1118 - Pages: 5
...Aristotle Crystal Lancaster Philosophy 105 10/31/2013 Martha Stillman Aristotle(384-322 B.C.E.) Was one of the greatest thinkers of all time? He was the teacher of Alexander the Great and a student of Plato. Aristotle was also one of the most important figures in Western Philosophy. His writings were some of the first to incorporate ethics, logic, science, and metaphysics. His influences on physical science stretched into the Renaissance. In his writings on ethics, he reflected that ethics were practical and not theoretical. He wrote that to achieve morally good ethics one has to be trained by experience, and educators. Logic is the method of how we derive to know anything. He thought that by nature man is blind to morality. He suggests that man is a natural unmoral being. He backs this up by saying that man is born without knowledge. Morality comes from knowledge so man has to acquire this. He suggests that the choices we make after birth determine whether we are immoral or moral. He believed that each man has a unique nature. Aristotle seems to be pretty attacking in his account of human nature since he sees man as totally dependent on others else he is to be useless. I have always found Aristotle to be very intriguing. I can remember reading about Aristotle in high school and it immediately captured my attention. He has many different views...
Words: 362 - Pages: 2
...Aristotle (Ancient Greek: Ἀριστοτέλης, Aristotélēs) (384 BC – 322 BC) was a Greek philosopher and polymath, a student of Plato and teacher of Alexander the Great. His writings cover many subjects, including physics, metaphysics, poetry, theater, music, logic, rhetoric, linguistics, politics, government, ethics, biology, and zoology. Together with Plato and Socrates (Plato's teacher), Aristotle is one of the most important founding figures in Western philosophy. Aristotle's writings were the first to create a comprehensive system of Western philosophy, encompassing morality, aesthetics, logic, science, politics, and metaphysics. Aristotle's views on the physical sciences profoundly shaped medieval scholarship, and their influence extended well into the Renaissance, although they were ultimately replaced by Newtonian physics. In the zoological sciences, some of his observations were confirmed to be accurate only in the 19th century. His works contain the earliest known formal study of logic, which was incorporated in the late 19th century into modern formal logic. In metaphysics, Aristotelianism had a profound influence on philosophical and theological thinking in the Islamic and Jewish traditions in the Middle Ages, and it continues to influence Christian theology, especially the scholastic tradition of the Catholic Church. Aristotle was well known among medieval Muslim intellectuals and revered as المعلم الأول - "The First Teacher". His ethics, though always influential, gained...
Words: 275 - Pages: 2
...Written: May 1st, 2002 Aristotle Aristotle was born in 289 BC, as the son of Nichomachus. He was born at Stagira in Macedonia, which is located on the northwest coast of the Aegean Sea in Northern Greece. His farther was a friend and also the physician of the King of Macedonia. Since Aristotle's’ farther was so close to the King of Macedonia, Aristotle spent a great deal of his childhood time at the court. Being at the court would later show to be a great influence in his life. People that lived in ancient Greece through Aristotle’s time usually only carried one name, and they were also referred to by the place from which they were born at. Because of this, Aristotle was often commonly known as “Aristotle of Stagira”. When Aristotle was just about the age of ten, his farther died and Aristotle was taken under the care of a man who was named Proxenus. At the age of 17, Proxenus sent Aristotle to Athens, which at the time was the intellectual center of the world. Aristotle went there to complete his education. He enrolled at the most famous academy in Athens, which was directed by Plato. Aristotle soon became a prominent figure at this academy. While at this academy, Aristotle threw himself totally into the works of Plato’s Pursuit of the truth and goodness, even though Aristotle departed from the master’s teachings on many points. Aristotle was Plates’ most famous pupil and Plato soon start calling him “the mind of the school”. After Years of Aristotle being at that school...
Words: 2123 - Pages: 9
...Aristotle (b. 384 - d. 322 BC), was a Greek philosopher, logician, and scientist. Along with his teacher Plato, Aristotle is generally regarded as one of the most influential ancient thinkers in a number of philosophical fields, including political theory. Aristotle’s’ writing reflects his time, background and beliefs. Aristotle was born at Stagira, in Macedonia. His father, Nichomacus, was the personal physician to the King of Macedonia, Amyntas. At the age of seventeen, Aristotle left for Athens to study at Plato’s Academy. He studied at the Academy for about twenty years, up until Plato’s death. Plato’s death sent Aristotle to a city in Asia Minor, called Assos, where his friend, Hermias was ruler. It was in Assos where Aristotle met, Pythias, who is described as either a niece or daughter of Hermias, who Aristotle married after the murder of Hermias, by the Persians. Aristotle then went to Pella, the capitol of Macedonia, where he became the tutor for the king’s son, Alexander, who later became Alexander the Great. When Alexander became King, Aristotle went to Athens where he began to lecture at the Lyceum. He lectured while walking about in one of its covered walkways, earning him the nickname Peripatetic”, which means walking about. Aristotle lectured and directed the Lyceum for twelve years, producing during this time the lecture notes which now form his works. Only a small amount of Aristotle’s works have survived. The writings...
Words: 563 - Pages: 3
...Throughout his life, Aristotle paid particularly close attention to the notion of happiness. In Aristotle’s opinion, happiness is achieved by obtaining the highest good by living a good life. However, living a good life in accordance with Aristotle’s views can be difficult. He believes that in order to live a good life, one must constantly seek to fulfill the bodily needs. To do so, one must live with moral and intellectual virtues at all times. Aristotle believed that living with moral and intellectual virtues is accomplished by developing a keen sense of rationality. He says that rational judgment is the result of living within the appropriate mean of two extremes. There are several examples he gives to illustrate this conception. One example he provides is the appropriate mean between acting bravely and acting cowardly. He proceeds to explain that if he was to act overly brave then when he was in battle he would act overzealously and cause himself harm. However, if he was to act without enough aggression then he would appear cowardly. Aristotle explains that it is reasonable to be confused with this explanation. He further explains that it is not finding the exact mean between two extremes that one must endeavor, but to assess each situation individually. He says that with each situation that arises, one must analyze it and determine to what degree of one extreme or another one must respond with. Each person, he believes, will react differently and no situation will be exactly...
Words: 465 - Pages: 2
...ARISTOTLE Aristotle was born in Stagira, a “Grecian colony. His father was a court physician to the King Amyntas of Macedonia. It is believed that his purse of studies is due to his father’s influence of practicing medicine. He died at his country house at Chalcis, in Euboea at the age of sixty-two years old in the year of 322 B.C. He died to an illness he suffered from for a long period of time. There were legends that told his death to be because of hemlock poisoning, as well as another legend, it was said he couldn’t explain the tides so he threw himself into the sea. Aristotle was a high-minded, kind hearted man devoted to his family and his friends. He was a man who followed the ideals he outlined in his ethical treaties (“Aristotle”). During the time frame of thirteen years when Aristotle taught at his school, called Lyceum, he composed his writings into dialogues (“Aristotle”). His school was widely known as the walking school or the Peripatetic school because a lot of the discussion at the school took place while walking the grounds (“Encarta: Aristotle”). He taught the young conqueror Alexander, who became Alexander the Great, and thereafter his writings were lost and not recovered until the 1st century B.C. During the middle ages they were translated into Latin and Arabic and became a basis for Christian theology. In 2000 years no one has came close to his brilliance...
Words: 1314 - Pages: 6
...Jennifer Canon PHI - 2010-15850 T 7PM Aristotle the Great Philosopher The Greek philosopher Aristotle made significant and lasting contributions to nearly every aspect of human knowledge, from logic to biology to ethics and aesthetics. In Arabic philosophy, he was known simply as “The First Teacher”; in the West, he was “The Philosopher.” Aristotle was born in 384 B.C. northern Greece in a town called Stagria . Both of his parents were members of traditional medical families, and his father, Nicomachus, served as court physician to King Amyntus III of Macedonia. Some believe it to be his father's influence that gave Aristotle his interest in anatomy and the structure of living things in general. At age 17 he went to Athens to enroll in Plato's Academy. He spent the next 20 years first as a student and then as a teacher at the school. When he left the school he emerged as a great teacher and had many opinions about his teacher Plato. For the next five years, Aristotle went to the coast of Asia Minor as a guest of former students at Assos and Lesbos. It was here that he began his research into marine biology and married his wife Pythias, with whom he had his only daughter, also named Pythias. In 342 Aristotle was summoned to Macedonia by King Philip II to tutor his son, the future Alexander the Great. Although speculation concerning Aristotle's influence upon the developing Alexander has proven irresistible to historians, in fact little concrete is known about...
Words: 1004 - Pages: 5
...as we know it can be explained through science, and science alone. First we will look at what Aristotle, one of the early philosophers, view on metaphysics, epistemology, and value theory and then look at a current century way of viewing the world. Chapter 1 Aristotle - Biography Aristotle was born in 384 BCE. at Stagirus, a Greek colony and seaport on the coast of Thrace. His father Nichomachus was court physician to King Amyntas of Macedonia, and from this began Aristotle's long association with the Macedonian Court, which considerably influenced his life. At age 17 his guardian, Proxenus, sent him to Athens, the intellectual center of the world, to complete his education. He joined the Academy and studied under Plato, attending his lectures for a period of twenty years. In the later years of his association with Plato and the Academy he began to lecture on his own account, especially on the subject of rhetoric. At the death of Plato in 347, the pre-eminent ability of Aristotle would seem to have designated him to succeed to the leadership of the Academy. But his divergence from Plato's teaching was too great to make this possible, and Plato's nephew Speusippus was chosen instead. Aristotle on Metaphysics Aristotle's editors gave the name "Metaphysics" to his works on first philosophy, either because they went beyond or followed after his physical investigations. Aristotle begins by sketching the history of...
Words: 2136 - Pages: 9
...Aristotle's Views on Nature, Knowledge, and Being Aristotle was a realist and a scientific thinker. He dealt with attempting to explain the world around him, using evidence that could be derived from the senses. Unlike his predecessors, Aristotle organized his thought more collectively. He described the being, relating to both living things and inanimate objects, as the state of essential substance, one definite characteristic. According to Aristotle, that being is changed by any number of things, including growth, modification, destruction, quality, even negation. In addition to that beings in Aristotle's theory can be primary while still having secondary caracteristics to describe the “that”(i.e. What is that? A baby deer”. Unlike plato where a being is refered to as a “form” and “this”. Aristotle's view on knowledge, and the attainment of such wisdom, also differed from his predecessors. In addition to that his views on the soul were very different from those that came before him. Aristotle believed that the soul was a part of the body's make up that did not live on after death. However, he beleieved that the soul was the essence of the being that is created through the living experiences of that human. For example, a good person would be said to have a good soul, and after death the good soul does not move on to a paradise called heaven, but it rather dies along with the body. According to our notes and Aristotle's text on the soul (psuchē),” the soul is the form...
Words: 1411 - Pages: 6
...contrast Aristotle’s and Plato’s conception Compare and contrast Aristotle’s and Plato’s conception of the state and political freedom Politics and state have been following people’s society since it was established. Everybody understands that there is impossible to live in the world where there is no order. Every person still appreciates the necessity of state and government even if he or she does not as if the way of ruling is their own country. The problem of state was the topic of researches and thoughts for different famous people of ancient and modern time. Two of the greatest philosophers Aristotle and Plato devoted great part of their philosophic researches to the topic of conception of the state and political freedom. Let us compare and contrast their conceptions. A man named Aristotle who was a Greek Truth-seeker, a logician, and a scientist has a teacher named Plato. Aristotle is widely known as the most prominent olden philosopher in many areas of philosophy, together with political hypothesis. His life appears to have inclined his political notion in different conduct: his biological interest has mixed in his political life. Also, his political interest and his compassion for the democratic system like dominion perhaps have been optimistic by his experience of various political systems; he condemned severely, while borrowing widely, from his teacher’s (Plato) democracy, statesman, and laws; moreover, his own political affairs is proposed to help rulers and statesmen...
Words: 1123 - Pages: 5
...Aristotle As an important figure head in the field of philosophy, Aristotle and his numerous influences will be detailed. Identification and evaluation of key concepts and analyses that comprised his theories will be discussed along with identification and description of his contributions to the field of philosophy will also be offered. Lastly, further discussion will focus on how the culture and the time period influenced his ideology. Metaphysics Metaphysics is a branch philosophy concerned with explaining the fundamental nature of being. It is considered to be one of the greatest philosophical works. It kind of piggy backs off of Plato’s theory of forms. Plato believed that the nature of things is eternal and doesn’t change, but we know from just living in this world that things are always changing daily. Aristotle wanted to reconcile these contradictory statements of the views of the world. Aristotle used the influence of both Heraclitus and Parmenides. One believed that things appear to be permanent but they are really gradually changing all the time. Parmenides, argued certain conclusions could be reached by using reason alone and making no use of senses. After studying at the Academy, Aristotle would turn against his teaching and felt that there was a connection between the abstraction of existence and the science of nature. Aristotle described substance as material reality and formal and discusses the connection between actuality and potentiality. According to...
Words: 1865 - Pages: 8
...writers from Paper Masters have researched and found that Aristotle takes much of his notion on friendship from politics. Research papers on Aristotle's view of friendship looks at the philosophy of Aristotle and explicates how this philosophy boils down to politics and virtue in a man. Aristotle's treatment of friendship, including his definitions of friendship, is found within his work on ethics, the "Nicomachean Ethics." Friendship is included within his discussion of his general ethical theory. Aristotle bases his ethical theory on two constructs: Politics Virtue In most of the "Nicomachean Ethics," Aristotle discusses these two major subjects as separate subjects; or when they are discussed in relation to each other, they are discussed mostly with respect to what proportion of each is found in political activities or the conditions or state of a person's life. For instance, the more political an action is, the less virtuous it may be. And the more virtuous is an individual, the less he may be involved in the practical ends of politics. As mentioned earlier, friendship is a blending of politics and virtue; it can be looked at as an ideal blending. The Philosophy of Friendship According to Aristotle Friendship is included as a subject in term papers about Aristotle as a part of his general ethical theory because friendship has to do with the good which is the fundamental of the general ethical theory. As Aristotle begins the "Nicomachean Ethics," "Every art and every...
Words: 615 - Pages: 3
...Aristotle took a teleological approach to nearly all his studies, as he thought that determining natural purposes was the path to the most fundamental principles governing the world. Thus, in biology, he sought to understand the purposes of various organs and characterized species in light of these purposes. Regarding ethics and politics, he tried to establish that man's purpose was to participate in the political community, since what separates him from the animals is reason and language (which allows man to debate). With this natural purpose established, he went on to argue that man is complete only as a member of a community and that the ultimate form of association was the city-state. Teleology also played a role in his famous theory of the Four Causes. He argued that natural science must not only take into account causes such as origin or form, but also the final aim. Thus health could be called one of the causes of exercise, even while the reverse was also true. For Aristotle, what is virtue and how do we acquire it? Virtue, for Aristotle, is the developed ability to recognize the right or good thing to do. In many situations, no rulebook can tell us exactly how to act. Thus a virtuous person must possess the appropriate disposition that can recognize–as if by instinct–the correct course of action. This skill is not, however, simply innate. Rather, we acquire virtue by the development of good habits, and in turn, habit is developed by the appropriate exercise of reason...
Words: 571 - Pages: 3
