Sophie’s World Notes:
Aristotle
Philosopher’s Project: Absolutely everything about every natural thing
Aristotle, 384-322 BC, Athens
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Student at Plato’s Academy for nearly 20 years
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Father was a physician
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Founder of ‘science’ as a way of thought
On Plato’s ‘World of Ideas’

The highest degree of reality is what we perceive with our senses (direct contradiction to
Plato’s reason)
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Nothing exists in consciousness that has not been experienced first by the senses, no
innate ideas
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Reason is a tool with which to categorize and classify sensory experiences
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‘Plato was trapped in a mythical world picture in which the human imagination was
confused with the real world.’
Form and Substance
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All things are made of ‘substance’ (from dust to dust)
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The particular characteristics of a thing give its form (precursor to idea of species)

Within substance is the potential to create the various forms

Plato thought the universal essence of things lie in the world of ideas

Aristotle thought the universal essence of things lie in the things themselves
The Final Cause

There is a purpose behind everything in nature
Logic

Developed schemes for classifying the various organisms and objects of the world

Credited with creating logic, valid relationships among various concepts
All things
living
plants
Humans
nonliving
creatures
animals

distinctions based upon what things can do

Man is at the top of nature’s hierarchy, being capable of doing all things

God is ‘first mover’ which sets all things into motion
Ethics

Man can only achieve happiness by using all of his abilities and fulfilling his potential

Three forms of happiness (all of which must be equally balanced)
o Pleasure and enjoyment
o Free and responsible citizen
o Thinker and philosopher

“Golden Mean”, exercise balance in body, mind, and soul to achieve ‘harmony’ with
nature
Politics

Three possible methods of decent government (each with a danger)

Aristocracy, rule by a few, can degenerate into oligarchy

Monarchy, rule by one, but dangerous if used for advantage of individual leader

Democracy, rule by all, can fall into a mob rule
Views on Women

Woman is an ‘unfinished man’
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Woman is passive ‘substance’, man is active ‘form’ giver
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A view that was later upheld by Christianity throughout the Middle Ages