Salt Lake Community College
Aristotle:
The Naturalist
Alexander Keele
PHIL 1010
Dr. Alexander Izrailevsky
11/13/2014
alexkeele.yolasite.com
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Alexander Keele
S00652199
PHIL 1010 Term Paper
11/13/2014
Aristotle: The Naturalist
It was mentioned to me initially when taking PHIL 1010 that we would be required to
compose a final essay, dedicated to a philosopher that most interested us most during the fall
semester of 2014. During the first day of class, my professor Dr. Izrailevsky mentioned to me
that likely Plato would tickle my fancy most due to my profound interest in mathematics but in
truth, I found the philosophy of Plato to be quite unappealing. I understand we did not cover
Plato's philosophical ideas regarding mathematics and if we would have, this may have been a
different tale but as it stands, Aristotle the naturalist interested me most throughout the semester.
Granted, there were recent philosophers who more closely appealed to my current philosophical
ideals but what had interested me most about Aristotle is the fact that he had such a profound,
early understanding of human genetics and matter long before it was generally understood by
mankind. I also was really interested in his intense support of the middle class and the opening of
the Lyceum.
Aristotle began his humble life in 384 B.C.E. in the northern coastal region of Greece in
an area was known as Stagira, a small Greek community in Thrace. He was the son of
Nicomachus, a court physician to the Macedonian king Amyntas II. Aristotle's fascination with
human biology and anatomy likely stemmed from his short upbringing with his father.
Although Nicomachus died when Aristotle was just a young boy, Aristotle remained
closely affiliated with and influenced by the Macedonian court for the rest of his life.
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Little is known about his mother, Phaestis; she is also believed to have died when
Aristotle was young. After Aristotle’s father died, Proxenus of Atarneus, who was
married to Aristotle’s older sister, Arimneste, became Aristotle’s guardian until he came
of age.1
When Artistotle was 18, he was sent by his guardian Proxenus to study in Athens, which
then was the academic center of the known world. He began his formal education at Plato's
Academy and quickly earned "a reputation as one of the Academy's finest students…Aristotle
remained a student of Plato for perhaps twenty years, and Plato is supposed to have humorously
remarked that his academy consisted of two parts: the body of his students and the brain of
Aristotle."2 Although Aristotle greatly respected his teacher Plato, he fundamentally disagreed
with most of Plato's philosophical teachings and related more to Socratic philosophy laid down
by Plato's teacher, Socrates.
Upon Plato's death in 348 B.C.E., "Aristotle expected to be the next master of the
Academy…[b]ut the trustees of the Academy picked a native 'Athenian' instead, because they
saw Aristotle as a 'foreigner'" (Soccio 154). With his hopes of becoming the next master of the
Academy being sufficiently crushed, he was invited to be an advisor to a former classmate
Hermeias.
[Hermeias] had become a kind of philosopher-king over a rather large area in Asia
Minor. Apparently, Aristotle had little effect on his friend Hermeias' rulership, but he did
manage to marry Hermeias' adopted daughter Pythias in 344 B.C.E…Aristotle's life was
disrupted the same year, however, when his political benefactor offended the king of
Persia (Soccio 154).
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2
"Aristotle." Bio. A&E Television Networks, 2014. Web. 13 Nov. 2014.
Soccio, Douglas. Archetypes of Wisdom: An Introduction to Philosophy. Belmont: Wadswort, 2010. Print.
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Unfortunately, Hermeias was then crucified by the Persian king. Aristotle and his newly
acquired wife Pythias fled to an Island known as Lesbos. There, Aristotle studied natural history
until his loving wife Pythias died giving birth to their daughter. Later in life, Aristotle met a
woman named Herphyllis where their long and fulfilling relationship resulted in the birth of
Aristotle's son, Nicomachus, to whom the Nicomachean Ethics was dedicated.
In 343 B.C.E., "upon the request of Philip, the king of Macedon, Aristotle left Lesbos for
Pella, the Macedonian capital, in order to tutor the king's thirteen-year-old son, Alexander—the
boy who was eventually to become Alexander the Great."3 Initially, Alexander was very "wild
and crude, but Aristotle was able to smooth his rough edges and instill in him a respect for
knowledge and science. As Alexander the Great, Aristotle's famous pupil ordered his soldiers to
collect specimens of plant, marine, and animal life from faraway places for his old teacher"
(Soccio 154).
In 340 B.C.E., Aristotle had finally returned to Athens to form his own school, the
Lyceum, named after the god Apollo Lyceus,
Possibly [funded] with money from Alexander. The Lyceum's students tended to be from
the middle class, whereas students at Plato's Academy were more aristocratic. For a short
while the schools were bitter rivals, but as each concentrated on its own particular
interests, the rivalry died down. The Academy stressed mathematics and 'pure'
understanding, while Aristotle's students collected anthropological studies of barbarian
cultures, chronologies of various wars and games, the organs and living habitats of
animals, the nature and location of plants, and so on. (Soccio 155)
3
Shields, Christopher. "Aristotle." The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Spring 2014 Edition). Edward Zalta,
2014. Web. 13 Nov. 2014.
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Upon the death of Alexander the Great in 323 B.C.E., while Alexander was campaigning
in the East,
Anti-Macedonian sentiment reigned in Athens. In an attempt to free Greek city-states
from Macedonian rule, the Athenian Assembly declared war against Antiipon,
Alexander's successor. In a repetition of his experience in 347 [B.C.E.], Aristotle was
considered pro-Macedonian and therefore anti-Athenian, and he was charged with
'impiety.' The same charge that had led to Socrates' execution in 399 [B.C.E.] To avoid
Socrates' end, Aristotle went into voluntary exile to the city of Chalcis. In 322 [B.C.E], at
age 63, Aristotle died of a digestive ailment. 4
Unfortunately Aristotle's works were all destroyed when the Visigoths sacked Rome in
400 C.E.
The writings we know today as the "writings of Aristotle" are a collection of logoi—
discourses. Theses apparently include notes Aristotle made for his lectures and possibly
notes taken by his students who attended his lectures. Of 360 works mentioned by
Diogenes Laertius, forty survive today. What remains of Aristotle's work is complex,
stiffly written, and often dry. But in spite of that, these notes reflect a genius whose range
or interests, wonder, insight, and effort stands as a most remarkable testament to the
human mind and spirit. (Soccio 153)
First and foremost, Aristotle is known as the naturalist philosopher, which is defined as a
"belief that reality consists of the natural world; denial of the existence of a separate supernatural
order of reality; belief that nature follows orderly, discoverable laws" (Soccio 156). This
definition helps to clearly define the differences between the teacher Plato and the pupil
4
"Aristotle of Stagirus - Biography." The European Graduate School. n.p. Web. 13 Nov. 2014
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Aristotle. Aristotle completely denied the theory of the kingdom of eidos set down by Plato.
Plato theorized that the eidos is perfection and is used as "the mold" for all imperfect living and
non-living things. Aristotle on the other hand felt only nature exists, not eidos.
Aristotle felt that nature was the true sum total of all physical things compiled together to
create an ousia, Greek for essence. The previously mentioned essence became known as
Aristotelian form, "which is in matter and makes a thing what it is; can be abstracted from matter
but cannot exist independently of matter" (Soccio 158). For Aristotle, matter, derived from the
Greek word hyle, "is the common material stuff found in a variety of things; matter has no
distinct characteristics until some form is imparted to it or until the form inherent in a thing
becomes actualized. Thus, for Aristotle, individual things are 'formed from matter'" (Soccio 159).
Aristotle did not feel that the universe has been planned from an entity such as God but rather
"order and purpose and inherent to nature. Nature is purposive. Matter provides 'opportunity;'
form provides 'direction.' Form does not—cannot—exist without matter; matter does not—
cannot—exist without form" (Soccio 159). Although Aristotle had a very rudimentary
understanding of matter, it is impeccably accurate. Aristotle understood that all things were made
up smaller things that created formed matter. Change of form, Aristotle understood, was really a
series of smaller changes in which matter loses and gains form through a potential form found in
the hyle, which created a "blueprint" for new form to take shape.
Aristotle broke down all things into four different kinds of causes that, together, provides
us a complete understanding of a thing. These would become known as Aristotle's Four Causes:
(1) The material the thing is made of (Material Cause).
(2) The form the thing takes (Formal Cause).
(3) The triggering action or motion that begins the thing (Efficient Cause).
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(4) The ultimate purpose or goal for which the thing exists (Final Cause). (Soccio 161)
These four causes can be generally broken down to the matter, the form, the mover, and
the purpose. This philosophy led to Aristotle's understanding of entelechy, "which explained
nature as a whole. Entelechy means that things do not just happen—they develop according to
natural design. That is, nature is ordered and guided internally" (Soccio 164). Telos, the greek
root for entelechy, means end, purpose, or goal. Aristotle understands that all things have "an
inner program," or "plan," that guides all things to an ultimate telos. Aristotle elaborates in
explaining that all things have potential, or a plan, but outside factors will determine if that
potential (telos) is actualized. For example, two fertile seeds fall on two different types of soil:
one falls on a rock bed, the other in fertile soil. Both seeds have potential to grow but one is
limited due to circumstance. This example also directly applies to human beings. An individual
with a positive upbringing will more likely succeed over an individual with a negative
upbringing, but their potential is relatively equal. Aristotle feels that one should never
underestimate circumstance and to understand it is very pertinent in sculpting a final telos.
Aristotle also pioneered what is now known as the scientific method. To gain knowledge,
one must first use observation and experimentation to collect all relevant facts. Once completed,
one must use analysis to try and find the laws of these facts. Then, using logic, try to combine
those laws into a comprehensive theory. Although this is also a very basic understanding, it is
still unbelievably close to the current scientific method we use today. Aristotle's understanding
of matter and scientific method helped secure his place as the first "scientific philosopher."
Regarding Aristotle's moral philosophy, he spoke of eudaimonia, which is generally
understood as happiness but this definition is generally felt to be insufficient. Rather, as my
professor Dr. Izrailevsky detailed and to which I agree, it is more of a noble destiny. To elaborate
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further, I'd like to use an example mentioned in class: a veteran of war may come home to a
divorce and a loss of his family, making him understandably unhappy. This event, however, does
not cease the eudaimonia, or noble destiny, the veteran still retains. He may be unhappy and
disgruntled with his life, but he still has his respect and honor gained through war, which
accounts for happiness he may have lost when he endured the loss of his family. Aristotle also
elaborates that happiness is not equal, a rich man will be more happy than a poor man, an
attractive man will be more happy than an unattractive man. Aristotle feels that happiness always
contains an element of luck. Eudaimonia implies great suffering and great joy, great passions. It
implies a full life, not an insufficient or restricted one. The veteran lived a full life, including
great suffering and great joy, and the outcome of his life was out of his control and involved luck
heavily.
Aristotle's moral philosophy continues to include that every betrayal begins with a selfbetrayal. For example, one must have lied to themselves already before lying to others. Aristotle
also believes that your character, somewhat similar to nature, is a sum total of all your habits. If
you smoke a pack of cigarettes a day, by the end of your days you will be a smoker and it will be
engrained into your ultimate character. A characteristic most important to Aristotle is the
characteristic of repeatability, which directly correlates with reliability. A reliable person was far
favored over an unreliable person in Aristotle's eyes.
One initially odd philosophical idea held by Aristotle, that at first was quite shocking to
me, was his bold philosophy that a lover is not a friend. Upon further elaboration into the topic, I
feel I agree with this understanding of love and friendship. A lover is not a friend, it is something
more, and a friend is not a lover, it is something more. You need both a lover and a friend to live
a full and prosperous life. I do not, however, agree that friendship is the most noble of human
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relationships because I feel a lover is equal but required in a different way. I also somewhat
agree that the most authentic friendships are based upon a shared love for philosophy. I differ in
that I believe a lover is equally the most authentic human relationship and should also revolve
around a shared love for philosophy.
Finally, I'd like to share Aristotle's easily digested political philosophy. Aristotle strongly
supports a democratic society and feels it is the best political regime. He supports the power
given to the middle-class through democracy. Aristotle feels the middle-class is the foundation of
a healthy society and I could not agree more. As Aristotle so greatly states, "Democracy is when
the indigent, and not the men of property, are the rulers."
In conclusion, I am absolutely astounded to hear of Aristotle's elementary understanding
of matter. His philosophical teachings regarding the importance of a stable middle-class in a
healthy democratic society and his understanding of human feelings and relationships. Aristotle
was a profound philosophical genius in his day and age and I couldn't be happier to have had the
opportunity to learn more about his endeavors.
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Works Cited
"Aristotle." Bio. A&E Television Networks, 2014. Web. 13 Nov. 2014.
Soccio, Douglas. Archetypes of Wisdom: An Introduction to Philosophy. Belmont: Wadswort,
2010. Print.
Shields, Christopher. "Aristotle." The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Spring 2014
Edition). Edward Zalta, 2014. Web. 13 Nov. 2014.
"Aristotle of Stagirus - Biography." The European Graduate School. n.p. Web. 13 Nov. 2014
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Annotated Bibliography
I am compiling credible sources to help convey the biography and philosophical ideas of
Aristotle. I will be looking for sources involving his biography, the creation of the Lyceum, his
moral and political philosophies.
"Aristotle." Bio. A&E Television Networks, 2014. Web. 13 Nov. 2014.
This source is reputable because A&E is a reputable network and all information
gathered through source has been verified.
Soccio, Douglas. Archetypes of Wisdom: An Introduction to Philosophy. Belmont: Wadswort,
2010. Print.
This source is reputable because it was gathered in the textbook used for coursework. All
data gathered through book has been verified.
Shields, Christopher. "Aristotle." The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Spring 2014
Edition). Edward Zalta, 2014. Web. 13 Nov. 2014.
This source is credible because Stanford is an elite university in the states. All data
gathered has been verified.
"Aristotle of Stagirus - Biography." The European Graduate School. n.p. Web. 13 Nov. 2014.
This source is credible because The European Graduate School is a renound school in
Europe. All data gathered has been verified.
In summary, all information and sources found were determined to be credible and are
critical in providing an accurate and data-driven research essay. All sources will be compiled.