Aristotle

He was born in the year 384 B.C. at Stagira, Chalcidice, Macedonia. He was a noble person & high – minded, thoroughly earnest, devoted to truth. He was diligent and attentive pupil of Plato for 20 years; after the latter’s death he founded his own school “the Lyceum”. He died in the year 323.
His writings: Logical Treatises (Organon); Metaphysical Treatises; Physical; Psychological; Ethical; Rhetorical and Poetical Treatises.

One of his philosophies is his philosophy on knowledge. Originally Aristotle concurred with the idea of Plato on the theory of Knowledge. In fact he wrote decisive treatises on the said matters when he was still in the academy of Plato. However, when he left the academy, Aristotle criticized his master’s philosophy by introducing a new set of idea on knowledge. He believed that “nothing comes from the mind without passing through the senses.” This philosophy is far from Plato’s philosophy. If you recall, Plato believed that we have innate knowledge.

Aristotle argued that we acquired knowledge through the process of abstraction. Our senses perceived the things and through the process of abstraction we acquired idea. Thus, ideas come into our mind not because we have learned this in the realm of ideas but through abstraction of the things by the our external senses.

Historical Position
1. His philosophy is the synthesis and culmination of the speculations of Pre-Socratic and Socratic schools.
2. The first one who formulates the theory of syllogism as a series of rules of validity
3. Founder of Logic, Author if the First Treaties on Scientific Psychology, First Natural Historian, Father of Biological Science.
4. It was left for scholastic philosophy to add the pinnacle to the structure which Aristotle had formulated and carried as far as human thoughts could build unaided.