Philosopher's Biography: Aristotle - Essay Example

Module Module ID: Aristotle Aristotle serves as one of the most distinguished personalities the world has ever produced. By dint of his God-gifted wisdom, extraordinary talent, outstanding foresight, innate curiosity of learning from the social and natural environment, determination to explore every aspect of the universe, unquenchable inquisitiveness and vast observation of natural phenomena, the great philosopher laid the foundation of school of his philosophical thought, which not only inspired millions of people belonging to divergent societies, cultures, regions and religions of the world, but left indelible imprints of his tremendous knowledge and outstanding intellect for the next generations to come. It is therefore the great philosopher is admired and revered by the people living in all regions of the world, who seek support from the theories articulated and researches conducted by Aristotle on countless topics, disciplines and subjects have been in vogue the world. The records found from his sculpture reveal that Aristotle was born in 384 B.C. in Stagira, Charlidice. “The illustration of Aristotle is based on a Roman copy of an original Greek sculpture by Lysippos (c. 330 BC), located in the Louvre Museum in Paris; Lysippos was Alexander’s court sculptor.” (Keltz, 2009: 13) He belonged to a respectable family of ancient Greece, where his father Nicomachus enjoyed the status of personal physician of the Macedonian King Amyntas, the grandfather of eminent conqueror Alexander the Great. It clearly shows that Aristotle’s ancestors were highly qualified and respectable citizens of their times, though no one could reach the height of fame and popularity Aristotle has been blessed with. Aristotle sought his early education in Stagira as the member of an aristocratic family, and learned basics of mathematics, logic and science being taught those days in his locality. The philosopher lost his parents in his childhood; consequently, his uncle brought him up and aid due heed to his education and learning. He was sent to the Academy in 367 B.C., where he received education from his illustrious mentor and renowned philosopher Plato. The students getting education at Academy came of middle and lower middle stratum of society; it is therefore the arrival of the member of an aristocratic family at the Academy created stir among other students. “Here (in Academy) was an aristocrat of the aristocrats—suave, dapper, graceful, soft-spoken, gentle, polite--- the very model of sartorial and ethical propriety. Indeed, he was somewhat of a fop.” (Thomas & Thomas, 1960: 17-22) The students considered him as fashionable elite, who would have little concern with knowledge and wisdom. Somehow, the young pupil displayed his unabated commitment to learning and outstanding intelligence at the educational institution. His deep insight into poetry, drama, medicine, physics, geometry, history, logic, rhetoric, ethics and other subjects earned great respect for him in the eyes of the mentor and his classmates alike, which turned him as one of the most favourite students of the mentor. He viewed multiple subjects as the flowers of diversified bouquet, deep knowledge of each and every petal of these flowers had become the essential part of Aristotle’s veracious craving. Although developing interest in multiple fields and departments appeared to be really a hard nut to crack for an ordinary student; yet he was not an ordinary one. He was to lay the foundation of many new areas of learning for the future years to come, which be taught and learnt by millions of individuals belonging to coming generations. His unbound curiosity and observation of various objects of nature helped him develop his own theories on almost every subject, which aptly invited the disagreement with Plato. Somehow, it does not mean that the master and pupil were at daggers drawn on every issue; on the contrary, the contradiction in the views of both old and young philosopher gave birth to new ideas and theories, which also strengthened their relationship of mutual love and respect. It is therefore Aristotle did not leave Academy till Plato gave up his ghost in 347 B.C. The students and locals expected him to be the successor of his master after his demise, yet the trustees refuted his claim to be rightful successor by declaring him as foreigner, and thus a native Athenian was appointed to step into the Plato’s shoes subsequently. Rejection of Aristotle’s right to become president of Academy invited his disappointment and despair; as a result, he started making plans of leaving Athens for good. His friend and politician-philosopher Hermias had obtained the lordship of a vast territory in Asia Minor, where he looked for implementation of philosophic and ethical principles for the observance of peace, justice and rule of law in the territory. (Thomas & Thomas, 1960: 19) Consequently, he invited his associate i.e. Aristotle to exercise his wisdom and intellect in order to give his ideas a practical shape. Aristotle developed interest in Hermias’s well-to-do niece Pythias, with who he married during his stay in Asia Minor. Only few years after his arrival in Asia Minor, the Persians invaded the territory, arrested Hermias and murdered him in imprisonment. Aristotle had to flee from the land, and he returned to Macedonia with his wife. King Philip was informed about the arrival of the distinguished philosophers, who offered him the mentorship of his young son Alexander. Thus, Aristotle got an opportunity of training and coaching the future Macedonian monarch, which had to conquer a large part of the earth by dint of his valor, gallant deeds and command over warship. Aristotle had found his native land Macedonia surrounded with conspiracies, intrigues, debauchery and merry-making; the city, in his eyes, was but a jungle, where only beasts resided in human guise. He applied his philosophical thoughtfulness and refined mannerism to bring the courtiers to terms, but of no avail. He also tried to be acknowledged as a politician, but the system did not allow any space for the philosopher to introduce philosophy and logic in practical life. The situation worsened in the aftermath of King Philip’s death, where Alexander came at the helm of the governmental affairs with more enthusiasm to capture and conquer all the Greek cities and regions and eventually to turn these lands as his subjugated area. Consequently, Alexander found himself entirely misfit in the political environment. Out of sheer disappointment, he chose to proceed to Athens again, where he could be in a position to dedicate him to studies and learning by applying all his energies with great enthusiasm. Since he had gathered plenty of money received from the courts of Hermias and King Philip, he hired the services of over one thousand qualified pupils, who would scatter in different areas of the world, to bring material and information for the scientific investigation and enquiry being made by Aristotle. It not only helped him in compiling an encyclopedia of science and philosophy on the one hand, and in respect of establishing an educational institution under the title Lyceum on the other. The flocks of students joined the Lyceum, and stated seeking education under the dynamic supervision of this great philosopher of all times. On the one side, he was spreading the jewels of wisdom and knowledge to the students through teaching, and on the other side, he carried on his research process as a research scientist and analyst. Aristotle did not confine his researches to some specific area of knowledge; on the contrary, he explored various aspects of natural, social and political sciences on the one hand, and determined the principles related to literature, astronomy, mathematics, logic, psychology and politics on the other. It is therefore he is rightly stated to be the father of several disciplines from biology to astrology, from linguistics to literature and from chemistry to gymnastic. Aristotle had devised a unique method of research while exploring different aspects of a discipline while making an analysis. “His common methods of philosophizing include his focus on basic biological facts, his integration of ideas with the basic principles of his philosophical system, and his analyses of his predecessors.” (Hsieh, 2002: 2) On Literature: His famous work under the title Poetics (340 B.C) serves as the guiding star to the poets, playwrights and pen-men alike, and determines the characteristics of refined and shallow pieces of literature. In addition, the work also makes distinction between an eloquent and ordinary piece of literature, by depicting the elements and their appropriate collaboration and coherence to make the literary piece as an excellent genre. He has defined two types of genres, i.e. fine and mean. He declares epic and tragedy as fine forms, while comedy and satire as mean forms of poetry. Aristotle also throws light on the characteristics of a great tragedy, according to which a tragic hero should not fall down from prosperity to adversity, as it would not arouse any pity or fear in the hearts of the spectators, which is essential element of tragedy. Similarly, an evil or scoundrel should not rise from misfortune to blissfulness, as it may challenge the very existence of a tragedy in the real sense, and would invite the disgust and displeasure of the audience. (Meyer, 2008: 1144) Aristotle views plot as the most important element of a drama followed by characters and thought respectively. A plot, according to him, carries nine elements including exposition, foreshadowing, inciting force, conflict, rising action, crisis, climax, falling action and denouement. He also critically appreciates the plays created by his predecessors and contemporaries, where he declares Sophocles’ Oedipus the King as play that fulfills all the elements of a superb tragedy. Thus, he introduces new horizons in the field of literature in the light of which the future authors produced their works and obtained applause from the readers and spectacles. On Politics: Aristotle’s Politics encompasses all areas related to social, economic and political life of the individuals. He declares man as a social animal, where all his needs and requirements can be accomplished in group life. Since humans are gregarious by nature, their desires certainly look for support from one another. Having contradictory thought from the influence of his master Plato, Aristotle has supported the idea of free economy, possession of private property and capitalism, in other words. Private property, according to him, is more productive and leads to progress. “Conflict is inherent in communal property management. Private property is intrinsic to man’s nature. The love of self, money, and property is tied to natural love of exclusive ownership. Private property has existed always and everywhere. Only private property allows for opportunity for moral action; to practice virtues of benevolence and philanthropy.” (Ptak, 2000:6) Somehow, he looks for proper payment of taxes for the financial uplift of the state. Similarly, Aristotle also allows the elite stratum regarding purchasing and having ownership of slaves, which is somewhat notorious aspect of his theory. Contrary to Plato, Aristotle allows and recommends education, marriage and business opportunities to both the gender and all social classes as well. Syllogism: Logic and reason are two most significant characteristics of Aristotelian theoretical framework, which have been produced in six separate treaties called Organon. The work thoroughly discusses Aristotle’s concepts and methodologies applied in logical interpretation of the issues, matters or phenomena under analysis. Aristotle’s metaphysics also deals with logic and reasoning, where the great philosopher lays stress upon applying deduction and induction as the fundamental principles of logic. Similarly, syllogism is also Aristotle’s distinguished method of logic, where he elaborates a three step argument by applying three different terms. For instance, all Africans are black; Margaret Drabble is African; thus, Drabble would also be black. This three-step argument contains three assertions consisting of the three terms African, black and Drabble. The first two assertions are called premises and the last assertion is called the conclusion; hence Aristotle’ logic is from general to specific, which is called induction in the terms of logic. Natural Sciences: Aristotle has rendered valuable services in the field of natural sciences including astronomy, biology, physics, mathematics and many others. “Aristotle notes that the best way to reach information about the ‘science of nature’ is to advance from universals to particulars, because universals are easier for us to grasp with the help of our senses.” (Tahko, 2008: 2) Thus, Aristotle reiterates inductive methodology in observance and analysis of a natural phenomenon. Aristotle introduced new avenues in zoology, botany, physics, geometry and astronomy. Aristotle had developed great aptitude in the studies on animals since childhood, which laid the foundations of the biological sciences; “and they were not superseded until more than two thousand years after his death. The enquiries upon which those great works were based were probably carried out largely in Assos and Lesbos.” (O’Connor & Robertson, 1999: 2) Thus, without the help of any instruments or scientific equipments, Aristotle turned out to be successful in presenting basic knowledge about human brain, heart and other vital parts of the body, which really look amazing and miracle on his part. To conclude, it becomes crystal clear that Aristotle was a rare genius, who lit the light of wisdom and knowledge and spread it through his Lyceum, works and treaties produced after making hard efforts in making researches, devising theories, developing concepts and implementing them on various objects of nature to examine the validity of the wide range of concepts and theories. He leaves no field as un-touched and presented practical examples in support of his theories on multiple disciplines, sciences and politics and literature. He had equal command over rhetoric and biology, which one can only dream of. His valuable services and tremendous contributions in wide range of subjects prove him as one of the greatest writers, philosophers, scientists, astronomists, psychologists and critics of the entire world at large. Works Cited Keltz, Martha “From Cratylus to Aristotle” 2009 1-25 Retrieved from http://www.tcpubs.com/brunnen/articles/ca.pdf Mertz, Diana “The Soul of Aristotle” Aristotle (Phil 5081, Robinson) 29 October 2002 Retrieved from http://www.dianahsieh.com/docs/tsoa.pdf Myers, Henry A. “Heroes and the Way of Compromise.” 1948. In Tragedy: Vision and Form. Ed. Robert W. Corrigan New York: Harper, 1981/2008. O’Connor, J. J & Robertson, E. F. “Aristotle” 1999 Retrieved from http://www.gap-system.org/~history/Biographies/Aristotle.html Ptak, Justin. “The Prehistory of Modern Economic Thought: The Aristotle in Austrian Theory” Institute for Business Cycle Research 244 Oak St. Providence, RI 02909 401.559.6258 2000 1-19 Retrieved from http://mises.org/journals/scholar/Ptak1.pdf Tahko, Tuomas E. “The Aristotelian Method and Aristotelian Metaphysics” Published in Patricia Hanna (Ed.), An Anthology of Philosophical Studies (Athens: Atiner) 2008 53-63 Retrieved from http://www.ttahko.net/papers/aristotle.pdf Thomas, Henry & Thomas, Dana Lee “Great Philosophers” Bhavan’s Book University Bombay 1960 1-40 http://faculty.ksu.edu.sa/alshayban/English%20241/07.%20b.%20Aristotle.pdf http://www.tcpubs.com/brunnen/articles/ca.pdf Read More