Differences in Thought between Plato and Aristotle

Document Type:Essay

Subject Area:Philosophy

Document 1

Aristotle was a student of Plato who in turn was a student of Socrates. They are famed for their intellectual viewpoints about varied aspects of life and bringing insights and direction to unknown factors in the society (Rowe, Wood, & Wood, 2002). Aristotle and Plato, a famous student of Socrates profoundly influenced the western philosophy and civilization. As Karamanolis and Karamanōlēs (2016), notes that despite having common grounds, the philosophers possessed different viewpoint on varied issues affecting the society at the time. Interestingly, the philosopher’s address common field such as politics, ethics, science, philosophy among other issues. As witnessed by their surviving writings, Aristotle and Plato embraced advanced philosophical ideas. They valued logical thinking over application of senses. This illustrated by the allegory of the cave.

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According to Plato’s method, the reality of the person inside the cave is defined by the thoughts from what they see. The Aristotle philosophy direct that the man should experience the source of the lights and shadows in the cave rather than depend on their senses to define true qualities of the concept. Unlike the utopian solution perceived by the Plato, Aristotle preferred observation on the political process to develop necessary changes. According to him, the essence of the basic political unit “polls” is to provide a better living life for the people. Rather than suppress their innate desires, the state was expected to act in a manner that enhances the people interest such as engaging in arts (Barker, 2012). He supported this argument by stating that a man being a political animal could not abstain from the politics hence any elite in political order to the society.

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Aristotle on his part was concerned with the actual physical features of nature and expects that when it comes to politics, things should be allowed to fall in place other than being forced. On the contrary, Aristotle did not believe that a concept was attached to a universal form. According to Aristotle, there was no connection between concept and objects. Rather a concept was unique and had to be analyzed as a unique entity. This attributed to his Aristotelian empiricism (Karamanolis, & Karamanōlēs, 2006). Plato embraces questioning of opinion and ideas to establish the truth. He believed that a man had to choose the right act despite the presence of knowledge on what is right to do (Santas, 2001). According to Rowe, Wood & Wood, (2002), based on their varied views on ethics places, Plato espouses a theoretical plane while Aristotle can be viewed to be more practical.

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More so, the two great philosophers great differ on the definition of wisdom, Plato considers wisdom to be a virtue that automatically unifies all other virtues into a unit. More so, Plato believed a virtue is sufficient for happiness while disregarding moral luck. In his part, Aristotle considers wisdom to be a virtue but acquisition of wisdom was insufficient and does not necessarily automate unification with other virtues. Upbringing therefore and habits help in nurturing ethics and they should be practiced often as it is through training that one can perfect them emotionally and in social skills as well as basic understandings of the same. For Plato, what is required to achieve ethical accomplishments is basic skills and personalities and therefore does not require a lot of engagement and involvement.

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According to Barker (2012), Aristotle believes that with just direct observation and experience, one can prove the quality of a concept that is being driven. In that case, one can easily observe an ethical or unethical person and conclude the cause of their individual habits which could be attributed to upbringing. Science In comparison to Aristotle, Plato contribution to science is considered insignificant. Modern impact of Aristotle and Plato It is worth noting that too many historian and scientist, Aristotle and Plato continue to have a significant impact on the conventional way of life. The two Plato and Aristotle's philosopher’s possess a greater influence on political and social spheres in the contemporary life (Barker, 2012). The manner in which people relate become featured in their philosophies especially when it comes to ethics.

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