This is the same scientific method that Aristotle employs so successfully in examining natural phenomena: careful observation followed by tentative theories to explain the observations. The immediate and pressing question, then, is whether Aristotle is right in applying his scientific method to poetry. Physical phenomena are subject to unchanging, natural laws, and presumably a careful study of the phenomena matched with a little insight might uncover what these natural laws are. Aristotle seems to be proceeding with the assumption that the same is true for poetry: its growth and development has been guided by unchanging, natural laws, and the Poetics seeks to uncover these laws.
Aristotle is not trying to condemn Robert Burns for writing love poems; he is simply trying to catalog the different kinds of poetry that existed in his time. They all employ language, rhythm, and harmony in some way or another, they all deal with people who are engaging in certain kinds of action, and they all involve some sort of direct or indirect narrative. Whether something is an epic poem, a comedy, or a tragedy depends on how it fits within these categories. For instance, a tragedy is a composite of language, rhythm, and harmony that deals with agents who are on the whole better than us, and the poet speaks directly through these agents.
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Perhaps we would do better to understand Aristotle's distinction as being between fact and fiction. We tell stories to help make sense of a world that at times may seem frighteningly meaningless. There are no beginnings or ends in real life, and the stuff in between is nowhere near as neatly organized as it is in tragedy. The role of the tragedian is to take a certain series of events and to trace a logical sequence between them. The tragic action then shows us that there is some order, some necessity, in the world around us. We learn that certain kinds of behavior, certain choices, lead to certain consequences.
Aristotle "The range of Aristotle's interest and intellect is extraordinary. ... When Aristotle was about ten years old his father died. ... Proxenus taught Aristotle Greek, rhetoric, and poetry. ... Through Aristotle's life he accomplished many works. ... For Aristotle, psychology was a study of the soul. ...
Aristotle Consider Aristotle to be one of the three greatest thinkers of all time. ... The relationship between Aristotle and Plato was bittersweet. ... Categories contains example of Aristotle's logic deduction. ... Aristotle calls this prime mover God. ... Aristotle was the image of all wisdom in ancient humanity. ...
Proxenus taught Aristotle Greek poetry and rhetoric's. ... These works were Aristotle's thoughts on logic. ... Aristotle called logic, analytics. ... Aristotle also had his own philosophy of nature. ... Aristotle rejects the definition of space as the void. ...
Aristotle Aristotle was one of the greatest philosophers of ancient Greece, and one of the greatest minds in human history. ... Aristotle was born in 384 BC to Nicomachus, a physician of Mayntas II of Macedon. ... Aristotle also came up with other very abstract theories. ... When Aristotle looked towards the sky, he realized they did not move in an up and down fashion. ... Aristotle retired to a family estate in Euboea in 322, and died one year later. ...
Of the 158 constitutional histories, only one, the Constitution of Athens, survives; scholars think that it was written by Aristotle himself. At any rate, Aristotle had a very large empirical database for his theorizing about politics. 2. ... Thus, to cities of human beings, Aristotle would compare schools of fish, flocks of geese, hives of bees, anthills, and so forth.] ... In Politics III.9 Aristotle argues against competing conceptions of the nature and purpose of a political system. ... How could a political liberal object to Aristotle's argument for his paternalistic principle?...
Weeks English 101 10/21/01 Aristotle was a student at the academy of Plato in Athens, from age 17 to 37. ... In the essay "A Definition of Justice" Aristotle tries to explain that justice is interpreted different by everyone. ... Aristotle bases his concept of justice on the idea of equality. ... Aristotle says that most men believe justice to be equality, but not for all, but only for equals. ... Many of Aristotle's ideas are still problems in society today. ...
Aristotle was a teacher and studied under Plato at the academy and attended his lectures for a period of twenty years. ... I believe that according to Aristotle, the state was the beginning of all. ... This is why I think that Aristotle believed the state came first. ... Aristotle wrote much about rationality and irrationality of humans, and how much of each we share with animals. ... Aristotle felt the city is more important than the individual in some ways and because the city exists for the sake of living well, virtue must be a care for the city. ...
Aristotle believed that a person who has difficulty behaving ethically is morally imperfect. ... According to Aristotle, we only should be praised and blamed for which we can be held responsible. ... In book IV, Aristotle points out that honor, pleasure, and wealth are the things believed to make people happy. ... By distributive justice, Aristotle means fairness in exchange and fairness in the distribution of goods. ... Furthermore, Aristotle argues that people act justly or unjustly voluntary. ...
Based on Aristotle's view of political science, politicians need to determine which sciences need to be in communities. ... They see this type of advance to be a great benefit to society, in agreement to Aristotle's view of political science. ... According to Aristotle, means are pursued to achieve certain aims. ... Aristotle would argue that their ends are being pursued for their own fulfillment rather than society as a whole. ... Politicians are currently trying to keep the main intent of political science based on Aristotle. ...
