Plato
Plato separates the forms from
the material objects.
Plato made universals primary
and particulars secondary.
Plato emphasized Being over
Becoming.
Plato celebrated mathematics
as the model of pure thought.
For Plato the highest form of
knowledge was knowledge of
the pure forms or ideals—
Platonic Idealism
Plato’s philosophy tended
toward the transcendental
Plato favored intuition over
logic.
Plato used reason to overcome
the physical world.
Plato influenced St. Augustine.
Aristotle
Aristotle insists on the
inseparability of the form and
matter.
Aristotle made particulars
primary and universal
secondary.
Aristotle emphasized Becoming
over Being.
Aristotle grounded his
philosophical system in biology.
For Aristotle, knowledge was
grounded in empirical reality—
Aristotelian Empiricism.
Aristotle’s philosophy tended
toward the imminent.
Aristotle made logic the basis of
his philosophy.
Aristotle used reason to
discover the order of the world.
Aristotle influenced St. Thomas
Aquinas.