Aristotle was born in 384 B.C in a place called Stagira, Northern Greece. He was born to a doctor. After the death of Plato, people speculated that Aristotle felt snubbed because Plato did not choose him as his successor. Aristotle spent the next four years of his life traveling in the Eastern Aegean. During his travel, he studied philosophy. It is during that time that he conducted some remarkable array of observations and experiments in biological sciences. His emphasis on biology made him pay close observation of natural phenomena, and the only thing that could make sense of living things was careful classification (Hutchinson, 2015). His observations and arguments make his philosophy more empirical oriented than that of Plato. His arguments were based on the philosophy of nature, the soul and psychology, and ethics (Taylor, 1995). This essay argues that Aristotle was able to bring out the interaction between the world and human nature with that of plants and animals.
Philosophy of Nature
In his argument on the philosophy of nature, Aristotle says that universe is a scale that lies between two extremes. These extremes are when matter without form is on one end and when the form without matter is on the other end. He argues that the pathway of matter to become a form has to be clearly shown in the various stages, which are in world’s nature. He also says that it is very important to know that the major passage from form to matter is a movement that led to the purpose or an end. He says that passage of matter to form is known as motion. The motions are of four kinds (Bhaskar, 2014). These kinds are; the motion that affects something’s substance especially in its beginning or its end; motion that brings about changes; motion brought about changes in quantity by decreasing or increasing it and the motion that brings about a change of place or locomotion. Of all these motions, the last on is the most important and fundamental.
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Aristotle argues that the definition of space is not void, and that space is an impossibility. He continues to disagree with Plato on the fact that elements are composed of figures that are geometrical (Seigel, 2015). He says that space is clearly defined as the limit of the surrounding environment to what is being surrounded. According to him, time is the measure of motion in relation to what was later or earlier. He says that if there were no changes, there would be no time. I concur with Aristotle explanation of change and time. He says that if there were no change, there would be no time (Hutchinson, 2015). We always relate change to time. How people used to behave or live a decade ago is not how we live today. How people conducted politics and business is not how we conduct today. For example, we have electronic banking and democracy in politics instead of the monarchy governments. It can only be examined through the time, which has passed. He argues that a soul reveals its activity in some parts and faculties. These faculties and parts relate to biological development stages. The faculties are like nutrition which peculiar to plants, a movement that is peculiar to all animals, and reasoning, which is peculiar to human beings. All these faculties are like mathematical figures where the higher faculty includes the lower (Bhaskar, 2014). It classifies the difference between us a human being to plants and animals.
The Soul and Psychology
According to Aristotle, a soul is that perfect realization or expression of a natural body. Through the definition, Aristotle tries to explain that there in the connection between psychological processes and psychological states. Soul and body are unified as the same way wax is unified to the impression stamped on it. He believes that metaphysicists who were before him were wrong. Those metaphysicians discussed soul without any connection to the bodily environment. Aristotle on the other hand, he argues that mind or soul is not a product of psychological condition but because of the truth of the body. He says that it is the substance that only conditions of the body can have the real meaning. According to the Aristotelian explanation on soul and psychology, I concur with him because the soul is connected to the truth of the body (Hutchinson, 2015). The environment might be very different to what the body wants to do or experience. The soul carries the desires of the body and controls the body. It is the reason for difference between plants, animals, and human beings. The soul has biological development and that there is the difference between animal and human being.
Ethics
According to Aristotle, ethics is that attempt for someone to find his or her chief end or highest good. In most of the time, much life ends means to further ends and that our desires and aspirations must have final pursuit or object. The chief end or highest good is termed as happiness. Aristotle argues that happiness is supposed to be based on human nature, and it can be good experienced when it begin with facts of personal experiences. He says that someone cannot find happiness in any ideal notion or abstract. To him, happiness must be something human and practical (Nussbaum, 2013). Happiness cannot be a vegetative life that we share with plants or the sensitive life we share with animals. Therefore, true happiness exists within active life in a perfect realization or rational being. It is then followed with the outworking of true self and true soul, which should continue throughout a lifetime. On Ethics, Aristotle is trying to talk about morals. Everyone wants to be happy and can do anything to be happy. It is a desire within everyone mind body and soul to be happy. He argues that the ability for one to regulate desires is not instinctive. It is learned, and it is the result of both practice and teachings. He again argues that if someone regulates her or his desires too little or too much then a problem results. He says that desire-regulating virtues are not to be termed as mental faculties or emotions but as character traits (Nussbaum, 2013).
In conclusion, Aristotle emphasis on biology made him pay close observation on natural phenomena, and the only keys that could make sense of thing were careful classification. Through the observation, Aristotle was able to bring out the world and interaction between human nature with that of plants and animals and their place on the scale. It is well explained through the philosophy of nature, the soul and psychology and ethics. All of Aristotle arguments relates to the real life we live. The changes that we reflect on are examined through time. Society’s beliefs and norms are changing each day. The changes may they be political, social or economic they are creating a new environment for the individual. It is only in our souls that we can find the truth of that we want to be through the changes. Lastly, ethics is very important because it regulates our desires. Ethics help people to live in harmony with each other.
References
Bhaskar, R. (2014). The possibility of naturalism: A philosophical critique of the contemporary
human sciences . New York: Routledge.
Hutchinson, D. S. (2015). The virtues of Aristotle (Vol. 6). New York: Routledge.
McCabe, M. M. (2015). Arguments in context: Aristotle's defense of rhetoric.
Nussbaum, M. C. (2013). The therapy of desire: Theory and practice in Hellenistic ethics .
Princeton: Princeton University Press.
Perry, J., Bratman, M., & Fischer, J. M. (2015). Introduction to philosophy: Classical and
contemporary readings. Oxford: Oxford University.
Seigel, J. E. (2015). Rhetoric and philosophy in Renaissance humanism. Princeton: Princeton
University Press.
Taylor, C. (1995). Philosophical arguments . Boston, MA: Harvard University Press.
