[ar-uh-stot-l] 
| 384–322 b.c., Greek philosopher: pupil of Plato; tutor of Alexander the Great. |
| Ar·is·tot·le (ār'ĭ-stŏt'l) Greek philosopher. A pupil of Plato, the tutor of Alexander the Great, and the author of works on logic, metaphysics, ethics, natural sciences, politics, and poetics, he profoundly influenced Western thought. In his philosophical system, which led him to criticize what he saw as Plato's metaphysical excesses, theory follows empirical observation and logic, based on the syllogism, is the essential method of rational inquiry. |
One of the greatest ancient Greek philosophers, with a large influence on subsequent Western thought. Aristotle was a student of Plato and tutor to Alexander the Great. He disagreed with Plato over the existence of ideal Forms and believed that form and matter are always joined. Aristotle's many books include Rhetoric, the Poetics, the Metaphysics, and the Politics.
Aristotle Ar·is·tot·le (ār'ĭ-stŏt'l), 384-322 b.c.
Greek philosopher. A pupil of Plato, the tutor of Alexander the Great, and the author of works on logic, metaphysics, ethics, natural sciences, politics, and poetics, he profoundly influenced Western intellectual and scientific thought. In his works on science he emphasized the direct observation of nature and the philosophy that theory follows empirical observation.
| Aristotle (ār'ĭ-stŏt'l) Pronunciation Key
Greek philosopher and scientist who wrote about virtually every area of knowledge, including most of the sciences. Throughout his life he made careful observations, collected specimens, and summarized all the existing knowledge of the natural world. He pioneered the study of zoology, developing a classification system for all animals and making extensive taxonomic studies. His systematic approach later evolved into the basic scientific method in the Western world. |
əˌstɒt