Philosophy Paper

Two philosophers, have one thing in common, philosophy. Plato and Aristotle are two philosophers that have their differences and their similarities. To start off, Plato was the student of Socrates. He had a lot of beliefs that has made him the philosopher he is today. As Plato was Socrates’ student, Aristotle was Plato’s student, so they have a lot in common, and a lot of differences.

Plato is known for his Theories of Forms, which lead to the thought called Platonism. Theories of Forms refer to the belief that the material world around us is only an image of the real world. Plato believes that forms are eternal and changeless. Plato trusts that the abstract objects should be called goodness, beauty, difference and so on. Plato’s also touches about the soul and how that part of our body will never disappear in a sense. It is with us from our birth, and throughout our lives we are lead to a punishment or reward because of the choices we made. Plato believes it is our soul that gives us the insight into our lives. Plato took a lot of Socrates’ works and gave us a different perspective and thoughts on the theories. Plato wrote about justice, courage and wisdom. He also examined poetry and is famous for his work, Republic.

As for Aristotle, he wrote about logic and meaning and reasoning. He also wrote about metaphysics, music, poetry, and theatre. Aristotle was big on epistemology in universals and souls. He would incorporate his philosophical work in using science for reasoning. Aristotle’s intellectual range was from biology, chemistry, ethics, psychology, zoology, politics and government. According to Wikipedia, Aristotle’s views were called Aristotelianism.

According to University of Oregon’s website, the highest form of existence is the life of the rational being, and the function of lower beings is to serve this form of life. Taking that into perspective, Aristotle acknowledged that there are human beings, and also that all living things have potential. Oregon’s website gave great insight into Aristotle’s theories, “The ultimate goal of humans, therefore, is to develop their reasoning powers. When they do this, they are living well, in accordance with their true nature, and they will find this the most rewarding existence possible.” So, Aristotle addresses the question, What is a Human Being, to say that it is the highest form of existence, and that we have a purpose which is to develop our reasoning and true nature.
As for Plato, he addresses the question just about the same. In Plato’s Republic, it answers the question of “What is the nature of man?” Just by that statement, we can conclude that Plato recognizes human beings. According to kirkcenter.org, in the allegory of the cave, perhaps Plato’s most famous image, the philosopher sets out on an allegorical consideration of the nature of truth, and how this pertains to human existence. Agreeing to The University Bookman, in the Republic, Socrates argues that in order to have a happy and good life, man must first have an idea of the ends of human existence. This is what he means by the examined life. We can agree to say that Plato knew human beings were not a form of some sort, but that we are man, and that the rational part of our soul can attain truth. Therefore, one thing that both philosophers have in common is that the highest and most satisfying form of human existence is that in which man exercises his rational faculties to the fullest extent. To develop reasoning and attaining truth is using our faculties to our fullest extent.
According to Berkley University’s website, Aristotle uses systematic observation to look at the natural world. After his observation, he would see what something is, nature of essences, or why things occur, nature of causes. That can be something that the two philosophers don’t have in common. Plato uses the five senses to experience the world, but it only reveals the false world. As for Aristotle, he uses observation to see what something is, and why it occurs. All in all, Plato is an idealist, while Aristotle is a realist. In the priority problem, Plato believes in the universals, in which he uses forms as particulars or examples to set in his theories. One major difference is that Aristotle does not accept Plato's theory of forms, or universal ideas, existing independently of particular things. Which brings Aristotle to acknowledging that things do exist, and how they exist. He uses existence to demonstrate essence of the object, person, and theory. Aristotle’s realism was a rejection of Plato’s idealism.

In the Republic, I stated earlier that it asks us the question what is the nature of man. It also focuses on the ideal state, how can we build the perfect society. Plato believes that we are all about mine and not mine. He wants us to get rid of private property because he believes it only causes trouble. Plato also doesn’t believe in family, and with that being said he doesn’t like gender roles either. He thinks it creates animosity and trouble. Getting rid of these, Plato believes, will create an ideal state. In this Plato is hoping to surpass human selfishness. He sees that human selfishness is the problem that we need to build a state that is never arguing and always agreeing with each other, the ideal state. For Aristotle, he believes in a working government. He is concerned with what is here and what actually is, which is human selfishness. Aristotle recognizes human selfishness is a part of who we are. He wants to create a working government or society that acknowledges human selfishness and works with it. Sometimes human selfishness works in our favor, and Aristotle wants to have a working society in which he calls polity. He desires us to have a family and have private property because the only way to have a working government is to work together. This is an example of how Plato was an idealist and Aristotle was a realist. Idealism and realism was a huge difference between the two.

According to Oregon University, Aristotle holds with Plato that the life of virtue is rewarding for the virtuous, as well as beneficial for the community. Thus he does not argue that the path to goodness is through knowledge of the universal form or idea of "the good.” Plato believes that the reason for living is to attain the truth and listening to the rational part of your soul. Aristotle agrees that human beings should fulfill their human nature, which is to develop their knowledge. When they do this, they are living well, in accordance with their true nature, and they will find this the most rewarding existence possible.

Aristotle’s influence was Plato. Just how Socrates was Plato’s influence being his teacher, Plato became Aristotle’s influence. Everything that Plato wrote about, Aristotle either agreed or disagreed. His philosophical work gave philosophy a different perspective on Plato’s work, and a different and new perspective on meteorology, physics and zoology. He was a great philosopher, and later on became influences for other philosophers. According to Wikipedia, Aristotle influenced some of his notable students: Aristoxenus, Dicaearchus, Demetrius of Phalerum, Eudemos of Rhodes, Harpalus, Hephaestion, Meno,Mnason of Phocis, Nicomachus, and Theophrastus. Aristotle's influence over Alexander the Great is seen in the latter's bringing with him on his expedition a host of zoologists, botanists, and researchers. He also was a huge influence on Thomas Aquinas.

The three big names in philosophy are: Socrates, Plato and Aristotle. Don’t we already integrate those three? In some sense, I think that we can combine Plato and Aristotle because even though they do have striking differences, they also have similarities. They are such a huge name in philosophy, and all around the world people are constantly comparing the two and contrasting them. I think that they have made such a huge influence on philosophy it’ll be hard not to integrate them. The one big theory that has them separated is that of idealism and realism. They both have such a great impact on both sides, that it can be hard to combine them together. It’s hard to say if they should be combined, but all in all taking all differences aside, they should be mutual. To show different theories, different perspectives, and show us that life is all about reaching the highest power, truth and reasoning.