A brief introduction to the life of Aristotle, with an overview of his work on ethics, politics, metaphysics, and much else.

Aristotle Biography

Aristotle (384 BC - 322 BC) is one of most important philosophers of all time, and his writings are primary sources for much of Ancient Greek philosophy and science. Amongst many other contributions, Aristotle invented logic, created scientific biology, defined the study of poetic tragedy, and produced work on ethics that is still relevant today. Dante gave him pride of place amongst all thinkers, calling him 'the master of those who know'.

Aristotle’s early life

Aristotle was born in 384 BC in Stagira, a small town in North-East Greece, where he lived until joining Plato’s Academy. His father died when he was very young, and he was brought up by his rich and learned uncle Proxenus. Nothing is recorded about his early life, but one might guess that Aristotle received the excellent education of most high-born Greeks. 

Aristotle in Plato’s Academy

At the age of seventeen, Aristotle joined Plato's Academy in Athens. Plato's own work was in philosophy. and Aristotle learned a lot about philosophy directly from Plato. Plato, although not a mathematician or scientist, also made sure his pupils learned geometry, astronomy, and physics. The Academy also taught rhetoric, at which Aristotle excelled. 

Aristotle’s character and appearance

There are few, poorly supported, facts that have come down to us about Aristotle’s character and appearance. These suggest that he was...

• ... a fashionable dresser;
• ... arrogant (according to his enemies!);
• ... a witty lecturer and conversationalist; 
• ... of poor digestion and spindle-shanked;
• ... generous to friends and relatives.

Aristotle’s intellectual life

Although hardly anything is known about Aristotle’s personal life, his intellectual life is well documented. His surviving works alone provide us with a good record of his philosophical, scientific, and cultural thinking. 

The range and volume of Aristotle's work show that he was driven by the desire for knowledge. For him, this desire was fundamental to human nature. His central beliefs are summed up by two quotes from him:

• "All men by nature desire to know".
• "A fully human life is the activity of the mind”. 

For Aristotle, philosophy is "the love of wisdom", the search for “knowledge of things human and divine”. In his Nicomachean Ethics, Aristotle argues that the greatest happiness is to be found in a life of intellectual activity. Such activity produces the mental state in which men produce the truest form of their self realization, and the highest levels of flourishing. But Aristotle did not retreat to a life of studious contemplation. He was never a politician, but he was certainly a public figure. 

Aristotle leaves the Academy

From 367 to 347 Aristotle lived in Athens, then Demosthenes and his anti-Macedonian allies came to power. Aristotle then moved to the city of Assos, famed for philosophy and Macedonian sympathies. He was invited there by the ruler, Hernias. In return, Aristotle married Phythias, the niece of Hernias. Phythias bore Aristotle two children, Phythias and Nicomachus. After a couple of year Aristotle moved, for unknown reasons, to the island of Lesbos and then back to Stagira, his birthplace. Then he was summoned by Philip.

During Aristotle's lifetime, Philip II of Macedonia, and his son, Alexander the Great, dominated Greece. This led to the loss of independence of city-states like Athens. Many in the city-states resented anyone associated with Macedonia. Aristotle’s father, Nicomachus, had been a physician at the Macedonian court. In 343, Philip invited Aristotle to tutor Alexander, and Aristotle remained in this position for several years. Between his first period in Athens and his last, Aristotle’s scientific work proceeded apace.

Aristotle's divine science

Aristotle, like Plato, believed in changeless substances, and their area of study--theology, the science of the divine. But for Aristotle, always more practical than Plato, many divine objects were identified with astronomical objects.

Aristotle's return to  Athens

Aristotle spent the thirteen years from 335 in Athens, and taught regularly at the Lyceum. This is when Aristotle pursued most of his political studies. Aristotle's researches were often conducted in a team, and always communicated to others. For Aristotle , teaching was the best proof and manifestation of knowledge. But the Lyceum was not a private college, it was a public place. The general public were as welcome as students, and there were no exams or fees.

Alexander the Great died in 323. In 322, Aristotle fearing he might suffer Socrates' fate, retired to his mother’s homeland—Chalcis on the island of Euboea. Although never a Macedonian agent, and indeed an opponent of emperors and imperialism, Aristotle was in great danger after the demise of his most powerful pupil. Aristotle's last months were spent lamenting his isolation. He died in 323 BC, in Chalcis, aged 62.

Aristotle's legacy

Aristotelian ideas remain a fountain of inspiration for modern thinkers. The following list covers some the main influences that Aristotle has had on the history of thought. 

• Aristotle summarised the whole of human knowledge as known to the Greeks of his time, and advanced it across a broad front. 
• Aristotle provided the intellectual substance of Christianity and Western Culture until the end of the 17th century. 
• Aristotle ranged over most sciences and arts. He advanced the sciences of cosmology, physics, chemistry, biology, zoology, botany, and psychology. 
• Aristotle pioneered the study of zoology, both observational and theoretical, and his work in this area was not surpassed until the 19th century.
• Aristotle had profound insights into the human sciences of political theory, psychology and ethics. 
• Aristotle's  impact on philosophy resulted in the creation of Aristotelian logic, which was regarded as a finished system until the 19th century (and still makes up the core of the subject).
• Aristotle's advances in metaphysics and ethics are still central to much current debate.