THE DEFINITION OF PHILOSOPHY ACCORDING TO ARISTOTLE - PHILOSOPHY - 2025

Aristotle defines philosophy as the way to access knowledge. According to the philosopher, this knowledge is acquired through logical and structured thinking. However, to understand this statement, you must first understand the difference between knowledge and beliefs.

Knowledge is the product of a questioning process, which provides clear answers, such as "how much is two plus two?" or "how fast is the universe expanding?" Likewise, the natural sciences are responsible for the study of this knowledge, based on experiences and known as empirical knowledge.

On the other hand, beliefs are convictions that give answers to questions that do not have a clear or obvious solution, such as "what is the purpose of my existence?" or "why does evil exist?" In this sense, beliefs play an important role in defining our potential.

Taking into account the above, philosophy originated in Greece and was the object of interest of various scholars, among which Aristotle (384 - 322 BC) stands out. For the Greek philosopher, philosophy was the basis for understanding the axioms that make up knowledge.

The word philosophy comes from the Greek terms "phileo" and "sophia", and could be translated as "love of wisdom". In this sense, philosophy differs from knowledge because it seeks the truth, regardless of the usefulness of this "truth."

Broadly speaking, Aristotle's works have shaped philosophy for centuries, marking a before and after in its study and appreciation. That is why the characteristics of this philosopher's philosophy are defined below.

Characteristics of Aristotle's philosophy

To start the philosophy, and think logically, Aristotle proposed executing a series of steps.

To begin, the objects had to be observed and described. Later, the human being could extract knowledge of these objects through deductive and inductive reasoning.

In deductive reasoning, a conclusion is reached after having studied the premises; the validity of these arguments does not depend on empirical knowledge but on the logic with which the premises are evaluated. For its part, in inductive reasoning, the premises are drawn from a given conclusion.

An example of deductive reasoning is the syllogism, proposed by Aristotle. The syllogism is a type of argument that has two premises and a conclusion.

Of the two premises, the first presents a universal proposition, while the second is a more specific statement within the universal proposition. Here are three examples of syllogism:

• All human beings are mortal (Universal proposition)
• Aristotle is a human being (Specific statement)
• Aristotle is mortal (Conclusion)

Types of knowledge according to Aristotle

Aristotle argues that there are three types of knowledge: empeiria, tekhene and phronesis. "Empeiria" refers to experience, "tekhene" refers to technique, while "phronesis" refers to moral and ethical virtue.

These three modes represent ways of approaching empirical knowledge, highlighting the utilitarian sense of this knowledge.

The difference between "knowing what" and "knowing why"

According to Aristotle, philosophical thought differs from other types of reasoning since philosophy seeks to answer the why of our beliefs, while for other reasonings it is enough to know that we believe in something. Let's take the following two sentences as examples:

• I know that reading books in my spare time is better than watching television.

• I know why reading books in my spare time is better than watching television.

The first sentence reflects a person's opinion of how free time should be spent; however, the reasons that justify this position are not presented. For its part, the second sentence reflects that the issuer can provide reasons to defend its statement.

In this sense, philosophy distinguishes between emotions and reasons, the search for the latter being the main objective of philosophical thought.

The philosophy of nature

Aristotle considers that the universe is a bridge between two extremes: at one of the extremes, there is form without matter; at the other extreme, formless matter is found.

To explain the passage from matter to form, Aristotle proposes "the philosophy of nature." Movement is the key to this process. Aristotle distinguishes four types of movement:

1 - The movement that affects the substance of a thing, especially its beginning and its end.

2 - The movement that generates changes in the quality of a thing.

3 - The movement that generates changes in the quantity of a thing.

4 - The movement that generates locomotion.

Transcendence of Aristotle's philosophy

Aristotle, a disciple of Plato, continues the line of thought of his teacher. In the history of philosophy, you can find two experiences that generate the need to philosophize: wonder and doubt.

Thus, the Greek philosopher Plato (428 - 348 BC) wrote in his book Theaetetus that amazement is the main characteristic of a man who loves wisdom, that is why it constitutes the principle of philosophy.

The experience of wonder shows that the first approach to knowing is, in fact, not knowing, since it is impossible to be amazed at an event or element that is known and understood. You can learn more about Plato's works by consulting this link.

References

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