Philosophy - Aristotle

Aristotle

Aristotle (384-322 BC)- disciple of Plato, founder of the Lyceum or Peripatetic School [to walk about], the philosopher.

Theoretical philosophy = mathematics, physics, metaphysics

Practical philosophy = ethics, politics

Poetic philosophy = art, poetry, drama

- logic was a method of finding truths rather than as a compendium of truths

Truth = the agreement of  knowledge with reality

Two principle forms of logical inference: syllogism - reasoning from the universal to the particular  ie. deduction; and induction - reasoning from particulars to a universal

Scientific inference - conclusions based on true principles or premises

Dialectical inference - conclusions drawn from apparent data

Inference: derivation of new knowledge from known information

Sophistical inference - results in false assumptions based on erroneous premises

Two fundamental laws of logic: The principle of contradiction (a proposition cannot be both true and false); The principle of the excluded middle (a proposition must be either true or false).

essence - the ontologically real Being or Plato’s Ideal reality.

metaphysics - branch of philosophy that goes beyond physical events or substances.

study of ontology (the study of Being)

epistemology (the theory of knowledge)

- ultimate reality unfolds itself in the phenomenal world; every thing seeks to realise its essence.

For Plato, the sense world realised itself by imitating the ideal world, whereas for Aristotle, the Platonic Ideals realise themselves through the phenomenal world.

Essence within phenomenon strives to realise itself (entelechy - purpose)

Causes - contribute to the formation of matter in order that it may attain its end.

- the causes [matter or substance; for or essence; motion; end] constitute the principles by which each particular thing is changed from its original potential state of unformed matter to one of full realisation.

- each material object moves toward God in its striving and longing for perfection

Argument for the existence of God: teleological (argument from design: form and pattern); cosmological (argument from first cause).

God =first mover = unmoved mover

- the basis of his ethical philosophy is that everything has a purpose

virtue comprises the use of one’s ability to act purposefully in conformity with one’s intellectual insight.

- the virtuous or right act is a mean between two extremes (moderation).

- every true virtue impels man to live in harmony with reason, to live a rational life.

* if forced to, choose the lesser of two evils (Aristotle)

The purpose of the State is ethical training for the benefit of its citizens.

Forms of government: monarchy, aristocracy, polity, tyranny, oligarchy and democracy

- government form is unimportant provided the public interest is paramount

The form of government adopted by the State should depend upon the social situation prevailing at the time.

Art is imitation, copying the essence rather than the individual object.

Catharsis - purification of the soul

Neo-Platonists and the Patristics were faced with the problem of ethical and religious salvation

Neo-Platonism: matter is the product of spirit; phenomena are essentially spiritual; there is a dualism between spirit and matter that poses a moral problem; the sense  world is evil and alien to God; the soul’s salvation requires that it extricate itself from matter and return to pure spirit from which it originally came.

Ancient philosophy ended with the Neo-Platinists and the Patristics attempt to spiritualise the world.