Aristotle

Aristotle was a Greek philosopher of the 4th Century B.C. The product of an often turbulent citystate system, his discourses run the full reign of disciplines, from morality to science to the content of his Politics. While the specific dates of his birth and death are difficult to determine, it is known that he resided within Athens from 384 to 322 B.C.

Aristotle is only slightly overshadowed by his teacher, Plato, and his teacher's teacher, Socrates. While Aristotle rejected the "idea"s, the idealized Platonic forms of which earthly objects were a mere shadow, he was nonetheless influenced by Plato's approach to his discipline. Aristotle combined his interest in the modernly-defined "philosophy" with science, evaluating objects by consideration of their purpose (teleology), a method which was equally effective in the analysis of ethical rules and biology, both o f which received his close attention.

Aristotle's careful studies culminated in his support of moderation in all things, or a "golden mean." The impact of this desire can be seen in Greek art's value of order, balance, symmetry and control. In a renaissance form of appreciation, Raphael's work The School of Athens compliments this philosopher for his contributions, setting a conversation between Plato and Aristotle among a background which employs a careful use of perspective and vanishing points. Bodies and spirits, action and passive senimentality are balanced to give each of the admiring thinkers which surround the two Greeks a balanced role within the portrait.

Aristotle has been credited as the "codifier of facts" for almost all of the foundation of science laid down by the Greeks. The composition of physical nature, the reality of "number," the processes of the mind and the sequence of logic were all established into doctrines by his guiding infIuence over Athens' society.