Student Name: Kshitij Aditya Sharma
St. ID: 000802766
QUESTION: Compare Plato's with Aristotle's methodology. Make sure you include the following topics: Which research methods do they use? What is their view of reality? What is their theoretical view of the human being and society? What are their basic principles and methodological concepts?
ANSWER: Together with Socrates, Plato and Aristotle are the three great ancient Greek thinkers who are considered as some of the greatest luminaries in the field of philosophy and their ideas have shaped the course of intellectual thought for more than two millennia. Even though Aristotle was under Plato’s tutelage, the dichotomy between their thoughts is immense. As such, it is interesting to compare their philosophies.
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There is no “higher realm” of knowledge where it exists in its perfect form. It is only through using our senses and exercising reason that all knowledge can be attained and perfected. To make his point, Aristotle uses the example of colors. He argues that a blind person cannot have a perception of colors. It is only when we have senses, in this case eyes, that we can differentiate between colors or even know what colors are. Unlike the rationalists, Aristotle being an empiricist denies the idea that there is any innate knowledge.
For Plato, the truth is metaphysical and exists at the highest level of abstraction. It cannot be found in the physical realm or perceived with our senses. He says that not observation, but contemplation at a philosophical level can bring us closer to the truth. Everything on the earth is material, temporal, and perishable. But the ‘essence’ which is an immaculate conception is transcendental and permanent. It is for this reason that in the physical realm there can be diverse forms of the same object, but in the metaphysical realm, there is only one immaculate
Plato separates reality into two spheres: one of appearance, which is a material world, and one of reality. Plato believes “in a transcendent world of eternal and absolute beings, corresponding to every kind of thing there is, and causing in particular things their essential
Aristotle argues that in order for a polis to emerge, a union between man and women must convene. Later a household must be introduced which unites with other households to form a village, villages come together to form city-states. This theory is Aristotle’s natural view that an individual can not be self sufficient Plato argues that, in order to achieve absolute justice, a city-state is needed.
Excellence is a function which renders excellent the thing of which it is a function is Plato’s definition of virtue. What does this definition really mean though? Plato and Aristotle both had their own unique arguments devoted to the topic at hand, and their own ways of describing what virtue really is. Defining virtue may seem to be an easy taste, but to truly understand the arguments behind the definition can prove to be very challenging.
Our sensory also give us knowledge of the material world, what we can see or smell. And sensory objects he believed that they were in constant change and were a phenomenon to the physical world. Plato used the concept of the divided line to illustrate the relationship of knowledge to opinion. Metaphysics is investigating principles or reality transcending those of any particular science. Cosmology and Ontology were the traditional branches concerned with the explaining of the ultimate nature of being in the world. Epistemology was also used it is the attempt to answer the basic question of true and untrue knowledge. The study of nature of being, existence or reality in general and its basic categories. A Plato’s Divided Line. A+B= world of forms (Being). C+D= (Becoming) Segments A, B, C, D represent decreasing degrees of truth. Ea. Degree of truth corresponds to different kind of thinking and different level of reality. (A) Level of pure intelligence or understanding the soul directly apprehends truth at highest level. (B) Level of reasoning specifically, mathematical thinking and deductive reasoning. (C) Level of belief or common opinions about physical objects, morals, politics, and practical affairs. (D) Level of illusion, dominated by second hand opinions and uncritical impressions. Plato states that The Form Human does not change-grow-or decay.
Almost everyone will agree that the brain is a powerful organ. The mind is capable of many things but Aristotle made efforts to show that the mind is capable of taking information from objects around us that we are conscious of. This is call sensory data. We use our mental power, which is our receptive intellect, to save up information in the form of concepts. This idea is call epistemological. If we look at this theory closely we will see that Aristotle is pointing out that if we learn by using our senses then it is natural that education will follow this pattern. He mentioned that if students examine objects then they should categorized and recognized similar objects. Therefore, by examining a chair, students will be able to tell that all chairs have legs.
In ancient Greece two great written philosophers lived. First there was Plato and then Aristotle. Aristotle was a pupil of Plato. Despite being taught by Plato they had different theories and views. Their ethics were very typical and traditional of ancient Greece but Aristotle detailed virtue ethics and the path to happiness. Plato’s political theories for a utopian society varied from Aristotle’s view of ‘best state for each society’. Their metaphysical theories are complete opposites and very contradicting. Even though Plato and Aristotle came from the same era and were closely linked they had very different philosophies.
Aristotle and Plato are two of the most influential philosophers in history. Plato was Socrates’ greatest student and in turn taught Aristotle. In time, Aristotle became Plato’s greatest student. Together Aristotle and Plato, along with Socrates, laid the groundwork for what we now know as Western philosophy and science.
Plato and Aristotle are philosophers that both have an idea of an ideal state but they have their differences. While there are benefits to each of their views on politics and society, there are also many negative things about their views. Some of their negative views were realistic at one point in time but few are the same in today 's society. Although I don 't fully agree with either philosopher, I would have to side with Aristotle overall.
In the various discussions of imitative art there has been a notable disagreement between two distinguished philosophers; Plato and Aristotle. Although it was Plato who first discussed the concept of imitative art, it is my belief that Aristotle was justified in his praise and admiration of imitative art, specifically, the tragic drama. In my discussion on the two philosophers’ dissertations I will begin with the ideas of Plato and his position and requirements for imitative art and its respected uses, after which I will discuss the ideas of Aristotle to show that the tragic
The world of sense is at a constant change, so how can the truth be
Plato believed that knowledge is the virtue, in and of itself. This means that to know the good is to do the good. For example, knowing the right thing to do will lead to one doing the right thing; this implied that virtue could be taught by teaching someone right from wrong, good from evil. Aristotle stated that knowing the good was not enough, that one had to choose to act in the proper manner and create the habit of doing good. This definition shows that Aristotelian ethics are practical, rather than the theoretical approach by
Plato was among the most important and creative thinkers of the ancient world. He was born in Athens in 428 BC to an aristocratic and well-off family. Even as a young child Plato was familiar with political life because his father, Ariston was the last king of Athens. Ariston died when Plato was a young boy. However, the excessive Athenian political life, which was under the oligarchical rule of the Thirty Tyrants and the restored democracy, seem to have forced him to give up any ambitions of political life. In 388 BC he journeyed to Italy and Sicily, where he became the friend of Dionysius the ruler of Syracuse, and his brother-in-law Dion. The following year he returned to Athens, where he devoted his
Plato and Aristotle view knowledge and the process whereby it is obtained. They both point out that many epistemological concepts which they believe where knowledge comes from and what it is actually. Most of them have been astonished me in certain ways, but I found that rationalism and "wisdom consists in knowing the cause which made a material thing to be what it is" make the most sense to me regarding the nature of knowledge. As the following, we will discuss about why these two philosophical viewpoints are superior and the others are inferior.
Aristotle and Plato were philosophers in ancient Greece who searchingly studied matters of ethics, science, politics, and more. Though many more of Plato's works survived throughout the centuries, Aristotle's contributions have arguably been more influential, particularly when it comes to science and logical reasoning. While both philosophers' works are considered less theoretically valuable in modern times, they continue to have great historical value.
In order to compare these great philosophers, it is important that we first of all view their history from an individual perspective.