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Compare And Contrast Plato And Aristotle

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Plato and Aristotle are two influential natural philosophers in ancient Greek. Although Plato was the mentor of Aristotle, their thoughts in some aspects are diverged. This reflective journal aimed to compare the similarities and differences of their ideas toward worldview, metaphysics and epistemology with examples from the thought of Newton and Darwin.

Plato and Aristotle shared different ideas in defining what is real. In Plato’s philosophy, there are two realms and the first one is material realm, where all matters inside are imperfect, transitory and less real (Lindberg 13). The second one is realm of form (intelligible realm), which contains perfect ideas and forms that are incorporeal, intangible and insensible (Lindberg 13). They are pre-existed to corporeal objects in material world to act as primary existence (Lindberg 13). In Plato’s view, only forms and perfect ideas in intelligible realm are truly real, while all corporeal objects in the material realm are imperfectly copied from the forms as secondary existence (Lindberg 13). However, in Aristotle’s philosophy, he proposed that there is no perfect form in the world. All matters are corporeal objects which can be changed (Lindberg 19, 21). To him, material world is primary reality that what people can sense by sight or touch form the real world (Lindberg 19). To conclude, there is a huge difference on their views about what is real. While Plato assumed that true reality should be imperceptible and absolutely
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In The Apology, Socrates attempts to defend himself and his conduct certainly not to apologize it. Derived from the Greek word “apologia,” which translates as a speech made in defense or as a defense only. This is an account of the speech Socrates makes at a trial in which he is charged inventing new deities, not recognizing the Gods recognized by state, and the Youth of Athens corruption. Phaedo claims to survey the events and conversations that happened on the day Socrates which is Plato’s teacher was put to death by the state of Athens.

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Even on his last day of existence, Socrates did not surrender his exploration of the nature of the soul. Using the Socratic Method and the Recollection Argument, he cleverly proved that the soul exists before birth and that it is immortal. In this paper, I will explain Socrates’ line of reasoning by using the words of the philosophers engaged in the discussion recollected in Phaedo and a metaphor of my own. Secondly, I will point out some limitations in the Recollection Argument, such as its exclusive definition of all learning as recollection and the negative perception of the body. Finally, I will assess the strength of Socrates’ premises and the conclusion to reach an overall evaluation of the argument that established a strong foundation

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In Plato’s dialogue Phaedo, he explains the soul and comes to the conclusion that the soul is immortal. Through describing the last hours of Socrates life before his execution, he lays out three arguments in support of the idea that while the body may cease to exist the soul cannot perish. In this paper, I will explicate Socrates three arguments for the immortality of the soul and their objections. Then I will argue on the presupposition of the Law of Conservation of Mass, that the universe, entailing the soul, must be cyclical. The Law of Conservation of Mass

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The existence and continual study of Socrates’ philosophy regardless of differing accounts is astonishing in itself since it survived not through the specific philosopher, but through other people. Which is a testament of the impact that a man, such as Socrates, can make. When we think of Plato, who is regarded as a father of western philosophy, we are quick to think of his major work The Republic, his student Aristotle, and his writing on Socrates. (We think of his writings on Socrates as mere footnotes in philosophical thought without examining them.) “Nothing comes from nothing,” Parmenides proudly claimed, and this philosophical doctrine applies to Plato’s thought.

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While Aristotle, did not believe Plato’s thinking of the Forms, his thinking was that the soul is not made of a form of objects that that’s on the shape of a material thing, but consists of the same higher substance or spiritual being in his metaphysics theological thinking. For Aristotle, the world beyond is where the physical immortal substance exists, and is developed through the belief that there is a higher being that gives us our soul. Based on Aristotle theories on human development, he has played a major role in bioethics. Bioethics is another branch of philosophy and biology, the study of living things. In reference to James Fieser from applied ethics, “Aristotle held a position now called delayed hominization: human fetuses only gradually acquire their souls, and in the early stages of pregnancy the fetus is not fully human”.

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It never changes and yet causes the essential nature of things we perceive in the world. These two perceptions are what Plato describes as the divided line or the journey of self discovery. This progression of the spirit, that can never be reached, becomes the ideal. Plato’s discussions include the involvement of the soul. It is clear, that the main reason for dealing with the soul is to achieve this state

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Nevertheless, the non-material form allows individuals to think about anything. In conclusion, both Aristotle and Plato’s are theories of dualism, they just differ in their explanations. Plato seems to maintain that mind and body are the same; however, Aristotle maintains that they are different.

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I believe that Aristotle’s ideas are more significant as they closer to western beliefs than Plato’s. Similarities can be found in religion, art, government, and evolution. Unlike Plato, Aristotle believed in the idea of a god, much like many people today. He believed that God was the First thing to exist, separate from all matter and is the ultimate form. As well as is a pure minded being.

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Socrates and Aristotle, despite being related through Plato, are in fact very different people and have many differing theories. Socrates outlook on life was that we 're all inherently good, but we will do bad things on accident. For example, when talking about ignorance, Socrates believes that we do not willingly do anything wrong. We instead have two branches of ignorance: not knowing something and knowing that you don 't know, or not knowing but you think that you do know (Plato, P.561). Aristotle on the other hand, claims that there is a different outlook on the model of ignorance.

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