Civilization 13 Aristotle and the Greek Legacy

Plato and Aristotle are considered the two most influential philosophers of Western antiquity. But there are three central paradoxes surrounding the life and work of Aristotle. He is considered a brilliant thinker, but we do not have any of his original writings. Over two hundred works are attributed to him, and the range of his works is extra-ordinary and super-human – he’s written about metaphysics, rhetoric, theater, politics, ethics, physics, and biology. Finally, while he studied under Plato for twenty years, his empirical approach to epistemology contradicts Plato’s rationalist approach. How can we explain these paradoxes? In this lecture to Chinese students Jiang Xueqin explains that to understand Aristotle’s work and beliefs it’s important to understand his background and associations. His life parallels that of Philip II of Macedon. Aristotle and Philip were born about the same time, and because Aristotle’s father was personal physician to the King of Macedon, the two grew up together. In their youths, Philip was sent to study military innovation at Thebes, and Aristotle was sent to study at Plato’s Academy, where he would spend the next twenty years. Legend has it that Aristotle became the tutor to Philip’s son Alexander the Great, and Philip rewarded Aristotle lavishly for his service...