Introduction
Plato and Aristotle are the most well-known and significant Greek philosophers and historical figures. Their views on politics, morality, justice, and other ideas influenced the period. In this article, Plato and Aristotle will be discussed independently to compare and contrast. Their history, guiding principles, and critical ideas will be discussed in two sections. After that, the article will outline the philosophical contrasts and parallels between Plato and Aristotle.
Discussion
The philosophy of Aristotle was predicated on the idea that all persons have a longing for the present. Aristotle was born in Thrace, the son of a well-known physician, and he started studying philosophy at Plato’s Academy (River, 2018). He started studying at a young age, and once Plato passed away, he was given the position of instructor. His significant accomplishments include instructing Alexander the Great (River, 2018). There were only two schools of antiquities at the time, but after a few years, he founded his own. Aristotle was known as a man of his word and was frequently on the go. This was because he paced and walked while he spoke and pondered. He criticized the political establishment, which nearly cost him his life. After disagreements with the governing elite, Alexander the Great was forced to flee to Chalcis shortly after his demise.
While a mighty young man in his day, Plato’s safety was jeopardized following Socrates’ passing, as a young man, he had a solid commitment to Socrates’ philosophy. Plato referred to Socrates as the wisest and most excellent of men; in his opinion, his passing was a tragedy for all of humanity and Athens (River, 2018). He came from a highly wealthy family in Athens and was born around 427 BC (River, 2018). For instance, one of the thirty tyrants that reigned over Athens was his uncle. After Socrates’ death, Plato deepened his philosophical understanding by traveling to some of the most illustrious locales recognized for their brilliant philosophical ideas. Asia Minor, Egypt, Sicily, and Southern Italy were among these areas. He criticized the political establishment, which nearly cost him his life. After disagreements with the governing elite, Alexander the Great was forced to flee to Chalcis shortly after his demise.
Without question, these two thinkers have had the most significant historical impact. The fact that the two great thinkers were pupils of other great philosophers is one of their many remarkable parallels. Plato was a student of Socrates and eventually developed into a prominent philosopher, with the philosophy of Socrates having a significant effect on his teachings (River, 2018). On the other hand, Aristotle was a long-time student of Plato, as was already said, and Plato also inspired his ideas.
Aristotle, however, rose to prominence as one of his own teacher’s harshest detractors, though he did so with good reason. He was critical, yet he still had much respect for his teacher. He refers to Plato as a guy “whom bad men have not even the right to praise” and “who showed in his life and teachings how to be happy and good at the same time” in a few of his publications (River, 2018). Their writings are similar, particularly regarding the philosophical topics they address, yet they make entirely different arguments about these topics.
The way that Aristotle and Plato approached their teachers’ lessons is one of their most obvious differences. Plato developed the philosophy of his teacher Socrates and carried on his mentor’s ideas. On the other hand, Aristotle went in a different direction and rejected the philosophy of his teacher. He even started his academy, which many detractors deem rebellious. Aristotle did not attempt to refute the ideas of his instructor, as is clear from his writings. Instead, he carried his teacher’s already deep and complex philosophy to its glorious culmination.
Nevertheless, Aristotle openly disagrees with his mentor’s thinking about the concept of the two worlds. According to Aristotle, “There is only one sphere of reality, the world of ostensible sense data” (River, 2018). He disagrees with Plato regarding the existence of the second realm of reality for forms. He contends that “forms do not exist in the second sphere of reality but in the thing” (River, 2018). Aristotle rejects the idea of Form as an independent variable in explaining people or objects. He fastens Form to the bodies they stand in for. For instance, he contends that while Treeness occurs in individual trees, it does not exist as a form on its own (River, 2018). Aristotle asserted that location and time had an impact on Form. However, Plato contends that Form is unaffected by time and place with the explanation of the meaning of white.
Conclusion
To conclude, this prompted several inquiries from him in which he appears to defend Form’s independence from time and place. For instance, even if everyone decided to stop thinking about the number 12, it would still exist. Numbers are a form that is unaffected or unaltered by space, time, or human volition (River, 2018). Plato also uses the expression of one name for several separate objects as an illustration. For instance, one may describe paper as thin while describing something made of plastic as slender. Even though these are two extra things, the same Form has already mentioned their existence. As a result, Form cannot be considered to exist in an individual, according to Aristotle. In the illustration mentioned above, there is no specific area of the plastic or paper that is thin (River, 2018). This backs up his claim that Form is independent of time and location.
Reference
River, C. (2018). Plato and Aristotle: The lives and legacies of the master and pupil (Large Print). CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform.