Aristotle

Ar is totle The GREAT THINKER who dedicated his life to the p ursu it of knowledge The power ful ideas and writings o f this famous natural philosopher survived the centuries. Aristotle tutored Alexander in subjects such as biology, mathematics, and astronomy.

Foundations of knowledge

Born in Stagira, Greece, in 384 bce, Aristotle enrolled at Plato’s prestigious Academy in Athens as a teenager. He spent almost TWO DECADES STUDYING philosophy, science, and logic. Equipped with a wealth of knowledge, Aristotle travelled to Macedonia in 342 bce and became a tutor. His student Alexander the Great later created the biggest empire ever seen.

Who came before…

Born in 624 bce, Thales of MileTus is often called the world’s first scientist. He believed that water was the original material of everything. Philosopher socraTes was born in Athens, Greece, in 470 bce. He believed that the way to achieve true wisdom was to question the things we think we know, favouring this method over standard lectures.

Did you know? Aristotle is believed to have had a stutter that caused him problems when speaking. Despite this, he tutored students throughout his life.

Aristotle was the first to recognize that whales and dolphins do not belong to the fish family.

Fascinated with biology and botany, Aristotle was the first to classify nature by defining different species, and dividing plants and animals into logical groups. He drew animals in detail and studied their body parts and functions. While recording his observations, Aristotle founded the SCIENCE OF ZOOLOGY (the study of animals).

By the way... I did make mistakes – I thought that planet Earth did not move, and that the human heart housed intelligence.

Who came after…

Scholar AlhAzen made careful observations before testing his ideas. In the early 1000s, he proved that sight is the result of light from different objects hitting the eyes. In 1735, Swedish botanist

CArl linnAeus updated Aristotle’s catalogue of classification by creating a modern, uniform system for naming and grouping organisms.

A medieval French translation of a page from Aristotle’s book Politics.

Library of knowledge

Aristotle returned to Athens in 335 bce, and established his own school, THE LYCEUM. He continued writing on every subject imaginable, from poetry to politics. He also studied light, and believed we can see objects because they emit light. By the time of his death in 322 bce, he had written more than 200 books.

How he changed the world

Aristotle’s use of observation, experimentation, and classification in scientific studies continues to influence and inspire the world more than 2,000 years later.