Aristotle: Life, Philosophy, and Influence on Western Thought

Aristotle: Life, Philosophy, and Influence

Aristotle was born in the fourth century BC in Stagira, a city in northwestern Greece. His father, Nicomachus, was physician to the Macedonian royal family, with whom Aristotle could coexist and interact. He received, in addition to the general education given to all Greeks, specialized education in medicine. At age 17, orphaned of both parents, he entered Plato's Academy, where he met Plato and remained for several years, first as a student, then as a professor of rhetoric.

However, the Macedonian hegemony over Greece, and the Athenian hatred towards everything Macedonian, forced Aristotle, closely related to Macedonian power, to leave Athens to avoid possible reprisals. He began a pilgrimage in Greek lands, and during his travels, he established a branch of the Academy, where he conducted important studies on natural sciences and gradually moved away from the Platonic position. In 342 BC, King Philip of Macedon charged Aristotle with the education of his son, who years later became Alexander the Great. However, Aristotle could not greatly influence the political thinking of the young Alexander, and his education was interrupted when Alexander had to take over the regency in the absence of Philip. Aristotle returned to Stagira, where he spent several years in intellectual concentration.

After Alexander became king, Aristotle returned to Athens. Upon returning, he founded a new school, the Lyceum. He taught there for 13 years, a period of great scientific and theoretical activity. Meanwhile, the political situation in Greece was growing worse, and Alexander was conquering the East. In this situation, Aristotle was accused of impiety and had to leave Athens again to prevent his execution. He died in exile a year later.

The Corpus Aristotelicum

Aristotle's work is collected and sorted in the so-called Corpus Aristotelicum. Most of the works collected belong to the third quarter of his life and are esoteric writings. Aristotle's philosophy sharply criticized the Platonic theory of ideas, arguing that the existence of perfect ideas about the bad and negative is inadmissible, that the essence of a thing cannot exist without it, and that Platonic theories do not adequately explain the reasons for movement and change.

Influence and Legacy

As for the influence of Aristotle's work, it forms the foundation of Western culture and has been present throughout its history and evolution. His philosophy was recovered in the Middle Ages by thinkers like Averroes and Avicenna and Christianized by St. Thomas Aquinas. Thus, his doctrines were regarded as unquestionable truths, and science in later centuries had to oppose them in order to progress and achieve new successes. His contributions in other aspects like logic, empiricism, and positivism have also endured over the centuries.

Key Works

Aristotle's work is extensive and is generally classified as:

• Treatises of experimental science.
• Writings of Logic (including rhetoric, topics, analytical first and second).
• Great treatises (metaphysics, physics, on the soul, Nicomachean Ethics, politics, and poetics).