Philosophy of Aristotle

Aristotle is recognized as one of the most influential thinkers in history. Although many

authors write about Aristotle, a brief analysis of his philosophy is insightful. The philosophies of

Aristotle and Thomas Aquinas have much in common, and their ideas have contributed to

science and religion. In addition, many concepts from the Ancient Greek and Roman

civilizations have been directly influenced by his works.

One of Aristotle's most important contributions to philosophy was his belief that natural

laws governed the universe. From this idea, the field of science was born- as scientists have

sought to understand these universal laws through empirical observation and reason. It has been

argued that Aristotle's work on physics was not as thorough as that of his contemporaries, but it

profoundly affected future scientific thinking. Furthermore, the scientific method developed by

Galilei and others was directly inspired by Aristotle's work on natural philosophy.

Another area where Aristotle made a significant impact on future thought was

metaphysics. Aristotle believed that bodies have attributes which can be understood through

reason. He also believed that there are essences within organisms - ideas which inspired later

thinkers such as Descartes and Kant. Furthermore, Aristotle provided a detailed explanation of

why a thing is as it is. His work on ethics led to the creation of the field of moral philosophy and

contributed to sociability.

Despite the philosophical significance attributed to Aristotle's works, the Greek

philosopher did not invent several concepts that we still apply today. These include ethics, social

justice, law, politics, human nature and virtue theory. Each concept has contributed to human
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enlightenment and social development throughout history. It is easy to see how these ideas can

be applied in politics and governance- which is why these concepts are so significant. The

influence of ancient Greece has spread far beyond the arts, architecture, drama and other areas

now familiar to us through popular culture.

Blessed with an envious afterlife that inspired such bards as Dante and Milton, ancient

Greece and Rome nevertheless left few eyewitness accounts of its famous personalities like Plato

or Aristotle. Fewer still could match their fame with an inner light extending no further than their

times. For most of humanity's subsequent history, these two giants loomed over the horizon like

distant mountains whose very names were lost somewhere beyond the ken of many modern

scholars.

By giving us insight into science, ethics, and other fields of study, Aristotle's works have

shaped our lives forever more than he probably realizes himself. His works remain widely read

today- even if most people do not know who originally wrote them. With such an illustrious past,

it is exciting to consider what this man who pioneered so much could develop next!