Aristotle and Plato both believed that there were forces at work in nature which were beyond sight and not of the physical world and eternally present. What we call philosophy is really a second philosophy, due to these unseen forces. Plato, one of the world’s greatest philosophers, once had a ground breaking idea. He came forth with the idea of the Forms. These Forms were perfect and unchanging. Everything else in existence took various qualities from the Forms and used them to create their own shapes and purposes. There was one Form, however, that stood above all the rest. The Form of the Good. This is where Aristotle, Plato’s kindred student, related his idea of God to. Through reason and facts and many similarities, it is proven in great detail that these two ideas are one in the same. In addition to Plato and Aristotle, Istvan Bodnar make this claim: Were there no separate forms---entities such as the unmoved mover at the pinnacle of the cosmos---which are without matter and are not of the physical world, physics would be what Aristotle calls first philosophy. As there are such separate entities, physics is dependent on these, and is only a second philosophy.
To begin, Plato’s Form of the Good was in essence the giver of life. It was often related to the sun in the way that they both gave life and allowed all life to grow. So if the Sun is the giver of light, being the creator, then Aristotle’s God is a striking resemblance of this idea. Aristotle realized that for all of science and nature to make sense, there must be a beginning. Science states that energy cannot be created or destroyed and nature is observed to be cyclical in how it destroys and creates life. Every river has a beginning, but even so the water must come f...
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...inally gaze upon the light.
In conclusion, Plato’s’ idea was given new purpose with Aristotle’s God. They have similarities ranging from their eternal existences, and to the way they work and cause motion in the world. The Form of the Good does this through its light and warmth, while the prime mover does it through causing motion from which all other matter either organic or not can exist and change along with time. The Prime mover and The Form of the Good are solely responsible for motion in our world. Both the Prime Mover and The Form of the Good are eternal and unchangeable by another force. Therefore they must be, by logic, the same entity.
Works Cited
Bodnar, Istvan, “Aristotle’s Natural Philosophy,” The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy ( Spring 2012 Edition), Edward N. Zalta (ed.), http://plato.stanford.edu/archives/spr2012/entries/aristotle-natphil/.
Kraut, R 2014, ‘Aristotle's Ethics’, The Stanford Encyclopaedia of Philosophy (Summer Edition), Edward N. Zalta (ed.), .
Aristotle. "Nicomachean Ethics." Classics of Moral and Political Theory. 3rd ed. Trans. Terence Irwin. Ed. Michael L. Morgan. Indianapolis: Hackett Publishing Company, 2001.
Aristotle and St. Augustine have both been influenced by Plato. Their philosophy on morality, politics, and the purpose of life has been platonically influenced. St. Augustine is the true heir of Plato because he has taken Plato’s ideal state, and revealed the implications of the lives that the citizens of the earthly city lead, in the City of God. Plato’s state is an ideal state, that would not function in reality. St. Augustine has taken Plato’s notions, and have furthered the implications of living a life that strives towards a common good. The consequences, whether negative or positive, cannot be seen in the earthly state, but can be seen in the City of God.
It is clear that although Plato and Aristotle believe different things about what happens after death and what the highest divinities are they do agree on some topics. They both think that the philosophy is the best way a human can spend their lives in a pursuit of happiness and truth. They both think that there are divinities which move the heavens. They both also believe that this world was created and was not just “always here.” Plato and Aristotle were neither Christians, Jews, nor Muslims but their ideas of divinity come so close to these monotheistic religions that it is difficult to believe their ideas have not had any influence in these religions as they developed many years after their works were conceived. In any case it is interesting to see what the thinkers believed before the onset of modern religious traditions.
Aristotle believes that before the concept of time there were three kinds of substances, two of them being physical and one being the unmovable. The three substances can be described as one being the “sensible eternal”, the second being the “sensible perishable” and the third substance being the immovable. To further this theory the sensible perishable can be seen as matter, the sensible eternal as potential, and the immovable can be seen as that which is Metaphysical and belongs to another science. According to Aristotle, the immovable is God. It is the immovable that sets the sensible perishable into motion and therefore turns the potential into the actual.
Baird, Forrest E., and Walter Kaufman. "Aristotle." Ancient Philosophy. 3rd ed. Philosophic Classics, vols. 1. Upper Saddle River: Prentice Hall, 2000. 304 - 444.
Kraut, R., (2014). Aristotle’s Ethics. The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Spring 2014 Edition), Edward N. Zalta (ed.) Available online at URL .
Since physics actually means the physical world; Meta involves the non-material world, such as the mind and spiritual brief. According to Encarta Encyclopedia, “Metaphysics,” is a branch of philosophy that entails the "nature of ultimate reality" (p.1) According to the Hummingbird N Company’s, “The Metaphysical Sciences,” the dictionary defines this as “A mental philosophy dealing with the nature and causes of being and knowing” (p.1). H. J. Patton (1948), say’s in Immanuel Kent Ground Work of the Metaphysics of Morals, “so act that your will can regard itself at the same time universal law thought its maxim” (p.34). The interoperation was that the universal law was the human’s as rational beings. Therefore, act, as you will but at the same time having the rational beings at the maximum of self-value. Patton goes on to say the rational being is having universal law at is maxim, is giving ones self-supreme value (p. 35). Therefore, Patton feels making decisions should be based on maxims of the universal law (p. 108). Which means all decisions should be made rationally.
Plato vs. Aristotle How do we explain the world around us? How can we get to the truth? Plato and Aristotle began the quest to find the answers thousands of years ago. Amazingly, all of philosophy since that time can be described as only a rehashing of the original argument between Plato and Aristotle. Plato and Aristotle's doctrines contrast in the concepts of reality, knowledge at birth, and the mechanism to find the truth.
We have two great philosophers, Plato and Aristotle. These are great men, whose ideas have not been forgotten over years. Although their thoughts of politics were similar, we find some discrepancies in their teachings. The ideas stem from Socrates to Plato to Aristotle. Plato based moral knowledge on abstract reason, while Aristotle grounded it on experience and tried to apply it more to concrete living. Both ways of life are well respected by many people today.
One was earthly matter that could be both seen and felt. Another consisted of the visible heavenly bodies, seen but not felt, the moon, planets, sun and stars. His third substance was the invisible world of spirit. Aristotle assumed that the moon, planets, sun and stars needed a force to move them because inertia was not understood yet. Everything must have a cause. Soul was what he assumed was the mover. In comparison to Plato, Aristotle saw soul as symbolizing reason. It was thought that the soul moved itself with a sense of purpose. In all, Aristotle believed that the cause of motion of all things is Divine Will. One major difference is that Aristotle did not accept Plato 's Theory of Forms. But he does not argue that what was platos the path to goodness is through knowledge of the universal
Plato also holds one of his books, Timaeus, as does Aristotle (right) with his book, Ethics. These books represent the contrasting philosophies of the two men. Plato was known for being interested in the theory of the theoretical. His finger pointed upwards toward the sky represents the idea that the world of appearances is not the final truth; there is a realm based on mathematics and ideas that is more true than the world we see. Aristotle, on the other hand, focused his attention on the observable and physical aspects of life. His palm is faced downwards, serving as a notion of rejection to Plato’s unrealistic ideals. Despite their contrasting views, their passion for philosophy and analysis of the meaning of life united the two
Aristotle and Plato were both great thinkers but their views on realty were different. Plato viewed realty as taking place in the mind but Aristotle viewed realty is tangible. Even though Aristotle termed reality as concrete, he stated that reality does not make sense or exist until the mind process it. Therefore truth is dependent upon a person’s mind and external factors.
Plato believed that everything had an ideal form, but Aristotle looked into the real world and studied that. Instead of inventing a system of government, Aristotle explored more of practical things that you can realistically put into effect. Aristotle’s main aim was to “consider, not only what form of government is best, but also what is possible and what is easily attainable”. Meaning that he wanted everyone to be able to relate and adapt to his form of power. He wanted people to be servant to his laws because if the law were an order, it would make a good society. He ended up maintaining a government somewhat like a democracy, where the middle class is strong. Aristotle produced natural domination as one of his biggest theories. Aristotle believed that people were born into being a ruler or in slavery. He wanted people to accept what they are and do what they were born to do. It was the only way that he thought the world would be able to work and not come out with a lot of problems. This is way he believes that everyone is born with a color that tells you your placement in the world. Your placement is not genetic and can’t run in the
Greek philosophers Aristotle and Plato were two of the most influential and knowledgeable ancients in our history. Their contributions and dedication to science, language and politics are immensely valued centuries later. But while the two are highly praised for their works, they viewed several subjects entirely differently, particularly education practices, and human ethics and virtue.