Philosophical ideas of Aristotle. Reflections on the philosophy of Aristotle. Do you like your job
Aristotle (384 - 322 BC) ancient Greek philosopher, disciple of Plato, educator of A. Macedonian. The founder of psychology.
Proceeding from the recognition of the objective existence of matter, Aristotle considered it eternal, uncreate and indestructible.
Matter cannot arise from nothing, nor can it increase or decrease in its quantity. However, matter itself, according to Aristotle, is inert, passive. It contains only the possibility of the emergence of a real variety of things. In order to turn this possibility into reality, it is necessary to give matter an appropriate form. By form, Aristotle meant an active creative factor, thanks to which a thing becomes real. Form is a stimulus and a goal, the reason for the formation of various things from monotonous matter: matter is a kind of clay. In order for various things to arise from it, a potter - a god (or mind - a prime mover) is needed. Form and matter are inextricably linked, so that each thing in possibility is already contained in matter and through natural development receives its form. The whole world is a series of forms that are in connection with each other and are arranged in an order of increasing perfection.
Aristotle divided philosophy into types:
Theoretical, studying the problems of being, the origin of all things, the causes of various phenomena;
Practical - about human activities, the structure of the state;
Poetic;
Logic as part of philosophy.
The historical significance of Aristotle's philosophy:
- He made significant adjustments to a number of provisions of Plato's philosophy, criticizing the doctrine of "Pure Ideas".
Gave a materialistic interpretation of the origin of the world and man. Allocated 10 philosophical categories.
Gave the definition of Being through categories.
Defined the essence of matter
He identified six types of state (monarchy; tyranny; aristocracy; extreme oligarchy; ochlocracy (crowd power, extreme democracy); polity (a mixture of moderate oligarchy and moderate democracy)) and gave the concept of an ideal type - polity.
He made a significant contribution to the development of logic, gave the concept of the deductive method (from particular to general)
Categories- this is the highest reflection and generalization of the surrounding reality, without which being itself is inconceivable. 10 categories: Essence (substance), Quantity, Quality, Attitude, Place, Time of action, Position, Suffering, State, Action.
Being- This is an entity that has the properties of quantity, quality - suffering. A person, as a rule, is able to perceive only the properties of being, but not its essence
Soul- is a carrier of consciousness at the same time is in charge of the functions of the body. Three kinds of soul:
Vegetable - responsible for the functions of nutrition, growth and development (remember the autonomic nervous system)
Living soul + functions of sensation and desire.
Reasonable (human) covers all of the above functions, is also in charge of the functions of reasoning and thinking. This is what distinguishes a person from the whole world around him.
The state- Like Plato, Aristotle distinguishes between "bad" forms of state (tyranny, extreme oligarchy and ochlocracy) and "good" (monarchy, aristocracy and polity). The best form of state according to Aristotle is Polity - a combination of moderate oligarchy and moderate democracy, the state of the "middle class" ( ideal of Aristotle)
Aristotle is a philosopher of Ancient Greece who lived in 384 BC. BC - 322 BC e. Disciple of the outstanding thinker of that time, Plato. Aristotle is famous for being the mentor of Alexander the Great. The knowledge transferred by Aristotle to Alexander was for the commander guiding star all his life. Aristotle's philosophy is worthy of close attention. It still carries with it usefulness and valuable knowledge.
Foundations of Aristotle's philosophy
Aristotle was interested in both the foundations of the world order and the issues of the essence of the human person. He reflected these studies in his works that have survived to this day. The thinker devoted a lot of works to the art of rhetoric - he taught eloquence.
Closely Aristotle began to study philosophy at the age of 17. At this age, he entered the Plato Academy, where he studied for 20 years. Subsequently, he founded his own philosophical school in the city of Pele, which was named "Lyceum" (a prototype of a modern lyceum), where he taught until the end of his life.
Components of Aristotle's philosophy
The philosopher's teaching is divided into 4 parts:
- theory - the study of problems and its facets, the origin and essence of phenomena;
- practice - model state structure and human activities;
- poetics - the study of the means of artistic expression in literature;
- logic - the science of the true representation of the surrounding reality.
In matters of the essence of being, Aristotle criticized the works of his teacher, Plato. He was opposed to unambiguous theories about the world order, and believed that each idea would depend on the situation in the surrounding world, and each thing is unique. Let us dwell on these points in detail.
The concept of metaphysics
The essence of Aristotle's metaphysics is a criticism of the works of Plato and his concept of the separation of the world of ideas and the world of things. The scientist believes that form and matter are inseparable from each other. Matter has a desire to embody in life the possibilities that it contains.
The concept of "form" according to Aristotle includes three points: the essence of the object "in the present tense", and potentially possible things that can come out of it after - the result of a certain act of creativity that created it.
The transition of a potential opportunity into an existing reality is movement. In the process of movement, simple things become more and more complex. Gradually, they are getting closer to perfection and to their primary source - God. According to this concept, God is pure thinking that has no expression in material form. In the future, thinking simply cannot develop - it has reached perfection, but God does not exist separately from the material world.
Aristotle on physics
According to the scientist, matter arises, disappears and changes according to the laws of motion, which is immortal life nature in time and space. The purpose of the movement is the gradual expansion of the boundaries of the influence of form over matter, and the improvement of life.
The scientist identifies 4 main substances that make up the universe - fire, air, water and earth.
Aristotle's philosophy clearly distinguishes between the directions of movement: up (to the border of the world) and down (to the center of the universe). This is due to the fact that some objects (water, earth) are heavy, while others (fire and air) are light; from this it follows that each of the elements moves in its own way: air and fire tend upward, and water and earth - downward.
The universe, according to philosophical thought, has the shape of a ball. Inside it, along clearly marked circles, they move celestial bodies, which also have a spherical shape. The border of the universe is the sky, which is a living creature, and consists of ether.
What is soul
Aristotle believed that every living organism has something guiding it - a soul. They are present not only in humans, but also in plants and animals. This is what distinguishes the living from the dead.
According to the treatises of the thinker, the soul and body do not exist without each other, therefore, it is impossible to study one and the other separately.
The Thinker distinguishes the souls of plants and animals from the human. The latter is a particle of the divine mind, has more elevated functions than the responsibility for digestion, reproduction, movement and sensation.
Philosopher about nature
Aristotle in his writings said that matter will always strive for a more perfect state. Thus, objects of the inorganic world gradually become organic; plants in the process of evolution are transformed into objects of the animal kingdom. Everything in nature is a particle of a single whole.
Gradually, the life of organisms becomes brighter and brighter, and reaches its peak, incarnating in a person.
Aristotle on ethics
The ancient Greek philosopher said that the essence of virtue does not consist in knowing what is good and evil, because the presence of knowledge is not able to keep a person from committing bad deeds. You need to consciously train your will to do good deeds.
Good is the predominance of reason over human desires and passions. A person's behavior can be called ethical only when he finds a compromise between his desires and how to act in accordance with moral and ethical standards. A person does not always want to do the right thing. But with an effort of will, he must control his actions. By acting morally and justly, we experience a sense of self-satisfaction.
Morality must be inextricably linked with statehood and politics.
Aristotle on politics
The highest goal of human moral activity is the creation of a state. According to this idea, the unit of society and statehood is a separate family. The spouses are in an alliance with each other, which is based on morality. A man leads him, but a woman in the family also has freedom in her actions. A man should have more power over his children than over his spouse.
According to Aristotle, slavery is normal. Every Greek can have slaves from the barbarian tribes. After all, they are beings of a higher nature. Slaves are completely subordinate to their master.
Several families form a community. And when communities unite with each other, a state appears. It should ensure a happy life for everyone, strive to make citizens virtuous. The state should strive for a perfect order of life.
In his treatise "Politics", the scientist cites several types of forms of government: monarchy (the state is ruled by one person), aristocracy (several people rule) and democracy (the people are the source of power).
Aristotle's Poetics
The multifaceted Aristotle also studied the art of drama. He wrote a separate treatise on this branch - "Poetics", which has not reached us in its entirety, but some pages of this work have survived. Therefore, we know what the great philosopher thought about the art of drama.
The scientist believed that the essence of tragedy is to awaken compassion and horror in the audience. Thanks to such strong impressions, a person experiences "catharsis" - his spiritual cleansing occurs.
In the plays of ancient Greece, a certain period of time was always considered. The philosopher in his treatise "Poetics" said that the time, place and actions in the plot should not diverge from each other (the theory of "three unities").
Many playwrights in their work relied on the teachings of Aristotle. Later, in "New time" in Europe, they did not always adhere to the theory of "three unities", but it became the basis of the classical style in art.
Aristotle criticized Plato for the theory of eidos, arguing that essence (eidos) cannot exist separately from things. With tz. Aristotle, every thing is the result of a combination of amorphous matter (gile) and disembodied form (eidos). Aristotle does not have the words "matter" and "form" - these are Latin words. Matter for Aristotle is "gile" (wood for processing), and form is "eidos".
The form defines the essence of things, i.e. "Goodness". Honesty (essence) -the basis of all properties of a thing. According to Aristotle, if matter has no form, it is nothing.
Aristotle formulated the idea “ substances "-being outside of oneself is not conditioned by anything, the cause of oneself. According to Aristotle, "concept" is another form of being. Each thing exists in 2 hypostases: in the subject and conceptual.
Essence -the basis of all properties of a thing, expressed in the concept.
Concept -ideal expression of essence, i.e. idea.
Synonymous series: essence \u003d substance \u003d eidos \u003d form \u003d concept \u003d what is.
According to Aristotle, each phenomenon has its own reason. Hence - the doctrine of 4 reasons: every thing has a reason (for example, at home):
1.matter - wood
2.form - design
3.movement - work
4.the goal is the need for housing
Method -universal thought form.
Question number 17. Theodicy (justification of God)
According to Epicurus, if God is such a being that has 3 attributes (he is all-good, omniscient, omnipotent), then the absence of 1 of these qualities does not allow us to assert the existence of God. Further Epicurus says, since there is evil in the world, it means that 1 of the qualities is absent: either God does not know about evil (then he is not omniscient), or he knows, but cannot prevent (then he is not omnipotent), and if he knows, he can eradicate evil, but does not do it - it means not all-good.
Question number 18. Theodicy of Augustine the Blessed.
The world was created by God and there is evil in it, i.e. imperfection. The reason for this imperfection may be (according to Plato) the burden of the world.
The world created by God cannot be perfect according to the conditions of creation: if the world were as perfect as God, then it would be 2 God (God is an absolute). Everything in the world created by God is good, and what we call evil is a lack of this good, arising from the imperfection of the world according to the conditions of creation. Evil has no independent cause of its own.
Augustine Aurelius notes that good and evil are interconnected and are cognized in comparison. There is no good if there is no evil.
Bon Aventura: in the world can’t. good if there is no evil. Hence the question - should the criminals be punished? And the answer is: yes, it is necessary to punish those who have committed evil and encourage those who have done good (conventionalism). The criteria for good and evil are conditional. There is no clear demarcation line between them.
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Aristotle-ancient Greek philosopher. Disciple of Plato. From 343 BC e. - educator of Alexander the Great. Naturalist of the classical period. The most influential dialectician of antiquity; the founder of formal logic. He created a conceptual apparatus that still permeates the philosophical lexicon and the very style of scientific thinking.
Aristotle was the first thinker to create a comprehensive system of philosophy, covering all spheres of human development: sociology, philosophy, politics, logic, physics.
There is a "kingdom of ideas"
1. Ideas of the highest in value categories of being. This includes concepts such as beauty, justice, truth.
2. The movement of physical phenomena - the idea of \u200b\u200bmovement, rest, light, sound, etc.
3. Ideas of the categories of beings - the ideas of an animal, a person.
4. Ideas for objects produced by human efforts ideas of a table, bed, etc.
5. Ideas of science - ideas of numbers, equality, relationships. The principles of the existence of ideas: a) an idea makes an idea; b) the idea is a model, looking at which, Demiur created the world of things; c) the idea is the goal to which everything that exists aspires to the highest good. The world of things and the world of ideas are united by the soul of the Cosmos. The idea of \u200b\u200ba thing, according to Aristotle, is within the very thing. According to Aristotle, there is necessarily some kind of community, that is, eidos in all senses. But the eidos of a thing is not only the generalization of its individual elements. It is also something singular. By this singularity, the given eidos of a thing differs from other eidos, and, therefore, from any other things.
It is absolutely impossible to separate the general from the individual, the individual from the general. That is, by removing some one moment of integrity, by doing so we eliminate the wholeness itself. Having removed, for example, the roof from the house, the house ceases to be integral, and, in fact, ceases to be a house.
Aristotle expounded his doctrine of a thing as an organism many times and different ways... He identifies four causes, or four principles of any thing understood as an organism.
Matter and form are the usual and understandable opposition, and it seems that there is not even anything to talk about here. For example, the material of this table is wood. And the shape of this table is the kind that wood materials have taken, processed for a specific purpose. Aristotle's material already has its own form. Everything, even the most chaotic, disorderly, shapeless and chaotic, already has its own form. Clouds and clouds during a thunderstorm look absolutely shapeless. However, if the cloud did not possess, in fact, any form, then how could it be for us some kind of knowable thing? From this Aristotle concludes that the matter of a thing is only the very possibility of its design, and this possibility is infinitely diverse.
According to Aristotle, only the cosmic spheres above the Moon are eidetically complete. And what happens inside the lunar sphere, in the sublunar sphere, is always partial and imperfect. and sometimes quite ugly. According to Aristotle, movement is a completely specific category and cannot be reduced to anything else. Thus, according to Aristotle, motion is the same basic category as matter and as form. Aristotle raises the question of the possibility of the category of movement itself. He identified four principles of the existence of any thing as an organism: matter, form, and acting cause.
Disciple of Plato Aristotle criticized his teacher. Plato's mistake, from his point of view, was that he tore the "world of ideas" from the real world. The essence of an object is in the object itself, and not outside it... There is no world of "pure ideas" either; there are only single and concretely defined objects. The essence of the object and its reason lies in the form, which is inseparable from the thing. ... The form- the key concept of Aristotle. It is the form that makes the object what it is. The bronze ball and the bronze statue are one in matter, but different in shape. Matter is the possibility of being, and form is the realization of this possibility, reality.
Single being (object) is a combination of two causes of being: formal and material. There are 4 of them :
formal, - the essence of the thing;
material -the substrate of the thing;
acting- what sets in motion and causes change;
target- in the name of what the action is being performed.
Being according to Aristotle is hierarchical and is expressed in the hierarchy of forms. Climbing the ladder of forms, the meaning of matter weakens, and forms increases. The form of inanimate objects - the plant form - the animal - the form (soul) of man - God (as a pure form freed from matter in general). Aristotle's God is the perfect Mind, the source of all movement is the Prime Mover, although he himself is motionless, eternal, has no history, is passionless and does not take part in the affairs of people. God is as absolute perfection, that goal, final cause that attracts the whole world.
Ethics.The purpose of human life is happiness(This is a common setting for ancient philosophy. Happiness, according to Aristotle, does not consist in material wealth, not in pleasure, and not in a single virtue, but in rational activity in accordance with virtue. It is necessary to realize in reality what is potentially in it. The central concept of Aristotle's ethics is the concept mid.
Virtue is the middle between excess and lack("Nothing too much"). Generosity is the middle between vanity and cowardice, courage is between reckless courage and cowardice, generosity is between wastefulness and avarice. The philosopher especially highly values \u200b\u200bsuch virtues as: reasonable wisdom, practical wisdom, prudence, courage, moderation, generosity, truthfulness, friendliness, courtesy.
Political science... Just like Plato, Aristotle divides the forms of the state into correct ones (when benefits for all are achieved) - this is polity, monarchy and aristocracy; and the wrong ones (good for some) - tyranny, oligarchy and democracy. He considers good forms in which the possibility of selfish use of power is excluded, and the power itself serves society as a whole - these are monarchy, aristocracy and "polity", that is, power of the middle class. Aristotle believes that for government (as in ethics) “ moderate to average best”, That is, it is the middle class that owns moderate property and establish the best form of government. Unlike Plato, Aristotle is a defender of private property. He says that “one thought” about property gives unspeakable pleasure, ”abolishing it will not give anything, since“ everyone is blaming the common cause on each other. The reason for the injustice of society is the reluctance of managers to act in the interests of the common good. It is serving the common good that is the criterion for correct forms.