Plato vs. Aristotle (ANSWERED)

Essay Paper Assignment Instructions

By Module 5, you should have chosen a topic for your paper, performed initial research, and compiled your list of sources.
The paper submission link is located in Module 7.
Paper must be typed and submitted in a Word document (doc or docx).
Paper should be 5-6 pages in length, double-spaced, using 12-point font. Title page, works cited, and appendixes will not be counted towards towards the page requirement.
Use at least four sources (the textbook may be used as one of these sources). Sources should include at least TWO journal articles or books available through the Ivy Tech Virtual Library.
Please DO NOT cite any online reference encyclopedias such as Wikipedia, Britannica, or Encarta.
All sources must be cited (must have an end note or a foot note) and the source listed in a bibliography. Paper must be written in MLA or APA format (your choice).
A TurnItin report will be generated to help identify plagiarism concerns. If the Turnitin plagiarism percentage is 25 percent or above, the instructor will review your submission. Academic honesty issues will be addressed by your instructor.

The paper must be based upon YOUR CHOICE of one of the following topics:

Discuss your own philosophical perspective on religion in comparison with ideas shared in Chapter 7. Include a discussion of TWO OR MORE of the following topics: Theistic and Non-Theistic Religions; The Problem of Evil; The Existence of God; Faith and Religious Experience.
Compare and contrast TWO views on reality that are discussed in Chapter 6. Discuss some strengths and weaknesses of each of these positions. Which perspective aligns best with your own? Explain your answer.
Choose and compare TWO perceptions of the “self” that are discussed in Chapter 3. Which view seems the most reasonable to you? Explain your answer.
Compare the Buddhist Simile of the Chariot with Plato’s Chariot Analogy. Discuss their similarities and differences.
Compare and contrast the ethical theories of Kant and Mill, as outlined in Chapter 6. Discuss some of the strengths and weaknesses of each of these theories. Which theory makes more sense to you? Explain your answer.

Selected Topic 1; Compare and contrast TWO views on reality that are discussed in Chapter 6. Discuss some strengths and weaknesses of each of these positions. Which perspective aligns best with your own? Explain your answer.

ANSWER

Plato vs. Aristotle

Plato and Aristotle were both influential ancient Greek philosophers who contributed to the development of Western philosophy. Both Aristotle and Plato had impressive intellectual capacity. On the other hand, they had contradictory perceptions of the world. Aristotle saw reality as material, while Plato thought it occurred in the mind (Mansfeld, 2018). Aristotle argues that the intellectual processing of physical reality is necessary for either its sense or existence. Truth, then, is relative to the intellect and circumstances of the beholder. The search for meaning in the world around us was launched by philosophers like Plato and Aristotle thousands of years ago. Surprisingly, all subsequent philosophical debates can be reduced to restating the same points made by Plato and Aristotle. There are significant differences between the worldviews of Plato and Aristotle, particularly with regard to the nature of reality, the nature of human knowledge from birth, and the methodology for uncovering the truth.

A person’s life is filled with encounters with people who share and challenge their beliefs about the world. This fundamental inquiry into the nature of reality has been a source of heated debate ever since it was first posed. The ancient Greek philosophers Aristotle and Plato were two of the most influential thinkers ever to try to describe the nature of existence (Boeri, 2018). A mentee could either agree to their mentor’s instruction without asking any questions or could challenge their instruction and change it to better suit their needs. Aristotle, a student of Plato’s, decided to reject some of Plato’s ideas about the world. While they had different approaches and ideas about reality, there are some similarities in their views.

Reality is independent of our perceptions: Both Plato and Aristotle believed that there is an objective reality that exists independently of our subjective perceptions of it. For Plato, this reality was the world of Forms or Ideas, while for Aristotle it was the physical world. Both philosophers believed that the world is structured and ordered, and that there are patterns and regularities that can be discovered and understood.

Knowledge requires reasoning: Plato and Aristotle both believed that knowledge is acquired through reasoning and reflection, rather than simply through sensory experience. The brain is widely acknowledged as a highly competent organ that opens up a wide range of mental possibilities. Nonetheless, Aristotle labored mightily to prove that sensory facts from the environment may influence the mind. By employing willpower and an open mind, we store information in the form of ideas through a process known as epistemology. If we look closely at Aristotle’s reasoning, we can see that he was arguing that learning through the senses is more likely to stick because of this fact. He emphasized the need of categorizing and distinguishing similar objects as youngsters learn about them. So, kids can tell that a chair has legs just by looking at it. Plato believed in the existence of eternal Forms or Ideas, which are abstract concepts that exist outside of space and time (Hodge, 2018). Aristotle also recognized the existence of universals, which are common characteristics that are shared by particular things. Both philosophers recognized the importance of ethics and morality. Plato believed that moral values are objective and can be discovered through reason, while Aristotle believed that virtue is developed through practice and habituation.

Despite these similarities, there are also some significant differences in their views. Plato focused more on metaphysical and epistemological questions, while Aristotle was more concerned with the natural world and empirical observation. Plato emphasized the importance of reason and intuition in gaining knowledge, while Aristotle stressed the importance of empirical evidence and observation.

Differences

Plato believed that the material world we see around us is only a shadow or copy of a more real and perfect world of Forms or Ideas. According to Plato, the Forms are eternal and unchanging, and they are the true objects of knowledge. The material world, on the other hand, is constantly changing and is only known through our imperfect senses. For Plato, reality is not found in the material world but in the world of Forms. Aristotle, on the other hand, rejected Plato’s theory of Forms and believed that the material world is the only real world. Aristotle believed that everything in the world is made up of matter and form, and that these two components are inseparable. According to Aristotle, the form is not a separate entity, as it is for Plato, but is instead an essential property of matter. For Aristotle, the material world is knowable through our senses and can be studied and understood through scientific inquiry.

According to Plato, the study of philosophy is the only way to gain insight into the greater dimension of ideal forms that reality reflects. This was an argument Aristotle did not buy. However, Aristotle maintained that the physical world was where reality was to be found. He believed that through observing the physical world, one may get insight into metaphysical realities. Aristotle emphasized the importance of observation as the key to comprehending reality, but Plato rejected the idea that the world encountered by observation and the senses is what is real. Acceptance or rejection of Aristotle’s and Plato’s perspectives on reality continues to shape contemporary lifestyle philosophies and their applications to many aspects of reality.

A fundamental disagreement has been ignited by these two radically different worldviews. According to Plato, we are all searching for some transcendent, spiritual truth that may direct our actions and, ultimately, remake the cosmos. Because of this certainty, he became a respected leader among Western religious mystics and believers in the existence of the supernatural (Polin, 2019). He considered there to be two realms, one of eternal, ordered, permanent, and global spirituality, and another of appearance, experienced via the senses of sight, touch, smell, and hearing. Plato paints a grim picture of the hereafter, characterizing it as unstable, imperfect, and chaotic. Mind and body dualism refers to Plato’s separation of these two areas. He claimed the immediate gratification of the senses was given too much weight. In Plato’s ideal community, “education to body and spirit all the beauty and completeness is feasible.” For example, in his cave allegory, the darkness of the sensory world must be dispelled by the light of reason and absolute truth. Seeking information is the only way to get a handle on the world. The ultimate purpose of education, in accordance with Plato’s idealism, is to help each person realize his or her full potential as a moral and intellectual leader for the benefit of society.

Aristotle, on the other hand, believed that the material world is where we find the truth and that it is our responsibility to learn about and understand this reality. His firm belief in this led to his being dubbed the “Father of Western Science, Technology, and Logical Linear Thinking.” To paraphrase Aristotle, the ultimate reality is the realm of material objects, which exists irrespective of the human brain. The only way to know the truth is to see it for yourself. The ultimate aim of this worldview is to gain an accurate understanding of reality by “a careful and uncompromising examination of all external evidence.” The Republic, Plato’s most well-known work, is written in the form of a dialogue between the book’s protagonist and his mentor, Socrates.

When it comes to how much we know from birth, philosophers Plato and Aristotle have different opinions. According to Plato’s Innatism, we bring our knowledge with us into the world. As every person possesses an immortal soul, the experience acquired in one lifetime can be carried over to the next. Yet because of the jolt we receive at birth, we lose the data and spend our whole lives trying to reassemble the pieces. On the other hand, according to Aristotle’s Tabula Rasa (literally “a new slate”) theory, human beings are born without any prior knowledge. Although Aristotle agreed with Plato that people have souls, he disagreed with Plato that the soul was immortal. Aristotle reasoned that as souls cannot go back to the ground, neither can knowledge.

Conclusion

In summary, Plato believed that the material world is a mere reflection of a more real and perfect world of Forms, while Aristotle believed that the material world is the only real world and that it can be studied and understood through scientific inquiry. Several scholars agree that Plato and Aristotle were two of the most significant contributors to Western philosophical thought. They laid the groundwork for modern democracies, defined philosophy for centuries, codified ethical standards, and created models for universities that are still in use today. The world would be a very different place if they were not in it. Perhaps Christianity would never have spread from Palestine to Greece and Italy without the influence of Plato. Aristotle gave us formal logic, while Plato gave us the foundations for modern mathematics. This essay seeks to compare and contrast Plato and Aristotle in an effort to establish which individual has been more essential to us and our Western democratic culture, while acknowledging the huge impact that both philosophers have had on our society today. Because of its compatibility with my religious beliefs, I agree with Aristotle’s opinion that nature is not accidental and that cosmic events are meaningful and planned.

References

Boeri, M. D. (2018). Plato and Aristotle on what is Common to Soul and Body. Some remarks on a Complicated Issue. Soul and Mind in Greek Thought. Psychological Issues in Plato and Aristotle, 153-176.

Hodge, M. J. S. (2018). Origins and species: a study of the historical sources of Darwinism and the contexts of some other accounts of organic diversity from Plato and Aristotle on. Routledge.

Mansfeld, J. (2018). Alcmaeon and Plato on soul. In Studies in Early Greek Philosophy (pp. 251-261). Brill.

Polin, R. (2019). Plato and Aristotle on constitutionalism: an exposition and reference source. Routledge.