Aristotle and his contributions to society

(Physics 1010, Miriam west)

The Greek philosopher Aristotle (384-322 B.C.) made significant and lasting
contributions to nearly every aspect of human knowledge, from logic to biology to ethics and
aesthetics (Aristotle par. 1). What better source to say someones great minds contribution
was nothing other than wholesome, in fact so wholesome that Aristotle could be considered the
fuel for fire to conceptual thinking pushing forward to newfound knowledge.
Aristotle was born 384 B.C. in the city of Stagira on the northern periphery of classical
Greece (Wikipedia). He was born to a position of knowledgeboth of his parents were members
of medical families and tradition. In fact, his own father was a court physician to a king, leading
to assumptions that Aristotle had a stimulating and educational youth.
Despite the fact that Aristotle had a childhood of privilege this is not what dictated his
great mind and his contributions to the world around him. At the age of seventeen he entered
Platos Academy serving both as a teacher and student for nearly 20 years. He left the Academy,
questioning his teachers theories believing there to be more to the world about, It is the mark of
an educated man to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it Aristotle.
Aristotle being a student of Plato contributed to his views of Platonism however being an
educated a curious man Aristotle after the death of Plato studied empiricism a theory that states
knowledge comes only or primarily from sensory experience, essentially that one must do to
truly understand and to grow. Aristotle himself shifted from Platonism and accepted Empiricism
has one of his beliefs.
Shortly after 347 B.C. Aristotle left Athens most likely due to political difficulties due to
his heritage. The next five years saw Aristotle on the coast of Asia Minor staying with some of

his former students, it was here that he also met his future wife Pythias and had his only daughter
who carried her mothers name.
Perhaps one of this biggest but least influential times of Aristotles history was in 342
when king Philip the second summoned him to Macedonia to tutor none other than Alexander
the Great. Aristotle imparted his views and believes upon Alexander, though later in life a slight
strife was seen between the two when Aristotle had published some writings and Alexander
believed that Aristotle had errored writing You have not done well to publish your books of oral
doctrine; for what is there now that we excel others in, if those things which we have been
particularly instructed in be laid open to all?
Aristotle returned to Athens around 335 B.C. however due to his heritage he was limited
in his rights, he found himself at a former wrestling school outside the city called the Lyceum
where he attracted students and composed his written works in his principle of surveying the
writings of others as a part of learning, thus comprising one of the worlds first great libraries
His last years found himself in a relationship with one of his slaves who bore him a son
named Nicomachus, after his wife Pythias died sometime after 326 B.C. Aristotle himself passed
away north of Athens having to flee after the death of Alexander the great again due to antiMacedonian sentiment, in 322 B.C. of natural causes.
Aristotle was a man that contributed many things to science and the progression of
knowledge, its hard to take any aspect of science today and not find a place that his fingers did
not touch at least briefly. His interests and writings included physics, biology, zoology,
metaphysics, logic, ethics and many other aspects of the world and society.

However, one of his greatest donations to modern science was that of the scientific
method, Aristotle believed that answers could be found in nature and that it had to be observed
and questioned and then repeated.
Aristotle was limited by the time that he lived in and the state of advancement not having
the tools to measure everything that he studied did not limit Aristotle though, many of his
contributions to science comes from laying the ground work for the future and other scientists.
He reasoned that infinite velocities could not exist, that time and movement are continuous and
inseparable, and that time was even flowing, infinite, and the same everywhere at once. These
are all true and a part of Einsteins Theory of Relativity. Some consider that Aristotles greatest
contribution to physics was his description of time. (J.C. Moore online)
Its arguable that Aristotle understood Newtons ideas better than Newton himself.
Observing both static and kinetic friction and how it opposed motions, as well as the power
needed to keep the ship moving depended on the force required and the speed, aka the definition
of power used today that Newton himself got wrong.
To write of Aristotle and all that he brought to this world could fill a book, however
without a doubt its acceptable to say that Aristotle was one of the fathers of modern thinking and
without the processes that Aristotle brought to many brilliant minds all that which we have today
would not be possible.
all men by nature desire to know Aristotle

Works Cited
Aristotle. History Channel Online. Jan 2016. Web. 19 April 2016.
Aristotle. Wikipedia. 14 Apr 2016. Web. 19 April 2016
Moore, J.C. Aristotles Contributions to Science, Education, and Physics. J.C. Moore Online.
2010. Web. 19 April 2016.