Type a new keyword(s) and press Enter to search

Aristotle Vs. Plato

 

            "Once I was the student, now I am the Master!" Although this was said by Darth Vader to Obi Wan, it nonetheless provides the perfect setting for the philosophical debate that, in my opinion, would exist today Plato and Aristotle. .
             Aristotle, a student of the Academy, did not believe in Plato's theoretical view of the world. Rather, he felt that the world could be realized at the most elementary level through detailed observation and the cataloging of experiences. This was the basis for his belief that knowledge was empirical, or founded on experimentation. To that end, Aristotle has been called the "first known scientist" with his influences still apparent in today's modern science. .
             To Aristotle, "all men desired to know." While man enjoyed sensation, like all animals, Aristotle added the practices of experience and memories to the equation of knowledge. He, unlike Plato, accepted that the world was constantly evolving and welcomed the transformations. Additionally, he did not just accept something as being. Rather, he felt man wanted to know why something was and how cause and effect impacted our experiences. In other words, change was motivated by another change or thing. It was here that knowledge was truly obtained. .
             Once this knowledge was put into "rules of practice", man was ready to take on the question of Theology (God and his role in our lives), Ethics (virtues, wisdom, and friendship), and Politics (the most authoritative and master art). .
             For Aristotle, God was not just the Creator. He was duality, the beginning and the end. Aristotle felt that " the divine is not something for whose good an action is done, but that at which action aims." It was up to us to come from and return to Him. Performing acts of good was a means to an end and not just something man was supposed to do because God told us to. .
             Ethics, in its truest definition of the word, could never be a constant because of humanity.


Essays Related to Aristotle Vs. Plato