Essay/Term paper: Aristotle

Essay, term paper, research paper:  Science Research Papers

Aristotle


One of the greatest thinkers of all time was Aristotle-322 BC, the
Ancient Greek philosopher. He has practically influenced every area of present
day thinking. His main focal points were the natural and social sciences. In
Stagira, a town on the northwest coast of the Aegean Sea, in the year of 384 BC
Aristotle was introduced to the world. He grew up a wealthy boy. His father
was friends with the noble king of Macedonia, and as a young man he spent the
majority of his time at the Macedonian court. At the age of seventeen, he was
sent away to study in Athens. It was there that he transformed to a disciple of
Plato. Over time, Aristotle became the "mind of the school". Later in his life,
he followed his mentor and became a teacher in a school on the coast of Asia
minor. Aristotle was the professor of young prince Alexander, who went on to
become the ruler Alexander the Great.
Aristotle was the first known person to make major advances in the
fields of logic, physical works( such as physics, meteorologists, ect.) ,
psychological works, and natural history( modern day biology). His most
famous studies are in the field of philosophical works. His studies play an
important role in the early history of chemistry. Aristotle was the first
person to propose the idea of atoms matter and other grand ideas.
Aristotle made the first major advances in the field of philosophy of
nature. He saw the universe as lying between two scales: form without matter
and is at one end and matter without form is at the other end. One the most
important aspects of Aristotle's philosophy was the development of potentiality
to actuality. That can be explained as something possibility in terms of its
accuracy. The actual state compare to the potential state is demonstrated in
terms of the causes which act on things. The four causes include material cause,
efficient cause, formal cause, and final cause. First the material cause is
also defined as the elements out of which matter is created. The way in which
matter is created is known as efficient cause. Formal cause is called the
expression of what the material actually is . The last cause, appropriately
named final cause, is for the end of the substance.
An example, actual compared to potential, can be as simple as bronze
statue. The material cause is plainly the bronze. Its efficient cause is the
sculptor . The formal cause is the idea of the statue, as the sculptor
envisions it . The final cause is the perfection of the statue . These four
stages of creation through termination exist throughout nature. Aristotle's
vision of early chemistry created a strong foundation for the chemists of today .


Works Cited

Aristotle (Internet Encylopedia of Philosophy). (Online) Available
http://utm.edu/research/iep/a/aristotl/htm

Aristotle's Page. (Online) Available http://eng.ox.ac.uk/jdr/aristo/html

Compton's Interactive Encyclopedia. 1995 Compton's NewMedia, Inc.