Aristotle

Paper Summary:

This paper explains that Thales (c. 640-546 BC) of Miletus, who is considered to have been the founder of natural philosophy, and Empedocles' system of four elements, earth, water, air and fire were major influences on Aristotle. The author stresses that Aristotle's influence was not isolated to Western civilization but was translated first into Syriac and later into Arabic, beginning in 450 A.D.; the Arabs were primarily interested in the medical, astronomical and mathematical aspects of the Aristotelian tradition. The paper relates that one of Aristotle's contributions, which is still in existence today, is the university where Aristotle lectured at regularly scheduled hours as opposed to the debate of his predecessors.

From the Paper:

"Biological principles were highly influenced by Aristotle. William Harvey, the founder of modern physiology was very much influenced by Aristotle and "...founded much of his work on the Aristotelian assumption that the shape, structure and size of each organ of the animal body indicated its purpose and function in the whole system." The idea of spontaneous generation was a commonly held belief, with it roots dating back to Aristotle and was not disproved until experiments were performed by Louis Pasteur."

More papers on Aristotle:

• Analytical Essay # 93777 : "An Analysis of Aristotle's "Politics"
• Essay # 143491 : "Aristotle On Justice And Friendship"
• Analytical Essay # 4436 : "Aristotle's "The Middling Sort"
• Book Review # 4141 : "Aristotle's "Nichomachean Ethics"

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