Aristotle Research Paper

The early development of Western science has benefited countless people and paved the way for current technology and new discoveries. What is often overlooked, however, is that much of this philosophy was dreamt up over 2,300 years ago by one man: Aristotle. The details of Aristotle’s life may have faded away long ago, but many of his ideas, discoveries, and teachings have stood the test of time. Aristotle provided modern humanity with the foundations of politics, ethics, and science. During his formative years, Aristotle began his journey as a philosopher and became a strong advocate of science. Aristotle was born in 384 B.C. in Macedonia, part of modern day Greece, in the small village of Stagirus. His mother was named Phaestis, and his

Aristotle’s works and lectures included his findings on biology, astronomy, physics, politics, and the nature of existence. As mentioned in Scientists: Their Lives and Works by Marie C. Ellavich, “Philip [the king of Macedonia] asked him to return to Macedonia to oversee his son Alexander's education. Aristotle, now Greece's leading intellectual, was about forty-two years old” (Ellavich). For three years, Aristotle taught Alexander what he knew about philosophy, logic, and politics. Alexander became ruler of Macedonia after Philip was assassinated. He went on and conquered massive amounts of land, establishing a legendary empire, and since has been known as Alexander the Great. During Alexander’s reign Aristotle returned to Athens, but, rather than re-joining the Academy of Plato, decided to open a school of his own. Aristotle built the Lyceum school as a location for research in every existing field of study. While Plato was more interested in dialogues between students and pure thought, Aristotle taught from the books and teaching materials he brought with him and gave lectures while walking around with his students outside the building. Aristotle was certainly as interested in finding new information and conducting experiments as the other scholars in Greece, but what set him apart was his affinity for

Aristotle died in 322 B.C., shortly after fleeing the Lyceum to escape Athenians rebelling against Macedonians like him. The Lyceum continued to function as a school after he left, until the center of knowledge in the Macedonian empire was moved to Alexandria, Egypt. Few of Aristotle’s works are intact today, though what has survived is mainly comprised of his lecture notes that he wrote and revised over his years teaching at the Lyceum. In the late Middle Ages, Aristotle’s work was revived by Arab scholars, contributing to the Renaissance in Europe. European scholars adopted Aristotle’s views and combined them with Jewish, Catholic, and Christian theology, and for hundreds of years, he was known among them as “the master of those who know” or The Philosopher. According to Aristotle: Philosopher, Teacher, and Scientist by Sharon Katz Cooper, “Ironically, several scientific discoveries in the Middle Ages and Renaissance period were criticized only because they could not be found in Aristotle’s work” (Cooper, 92). Aristotle believed that some animals could be born out of nothing, and that the Earth was the center of the universe. While Aristotle’s misconceptions were eventually disproven, his mistakes can be justified by the fact that advanced equipment, such as microscopes, did not exist during his time. Aristotle’s influence remains strong today