The predominant ideas of the Aristotelian model are the teleology of nature, the inaccuracy of the practical sciences, the immobile motor as primeval causes, and biology as a paradigm.
Aristotle was an ancient Greek philosopher, scientist and logician born in the city of Estagira in 384 BC, whose thought and ideas have been of great importance and influence in Western philosophical and scientific academic circles for more than 2,000 years.
Recognized as the founder and precursor of the systematic study of logic and biology, he also had influence in different disciplines of knowledge, such as rhetoric, physics, political philosophy, astronomy and metaphysics, among others.
He was a disciple of Plato and Eudoxus, and was part of the Academy of Athens for more than 20 years until he left it to start his own school, the Lyceum in Athens, where he taught until shortly before his death, in 322 BC.
Throughout his very productive life, Aristotle leaves behind a legacy of ideas considered revolutionary for his time, based on his empirical analysis and observation of everything that surrounded him, and which after two millennia are still the subject of discussion and study today..
Four predominant ideas of the Aristotelian Model.
Aristotle's work is unquestionably very extensive and full of ideas and propositions that would fill entire libraries just to try to explain its meaning to us.
Let's take as an example some of the most representative ones, like the one described below.
1- The teleology of nature
In principle, we must define teleology as the branch of metaphysics that studies the ends or purposes of an object or a being, or as traditional philosophy defines it, the study of the philosophical doctrine of final causes.
Such is Aristotle's emphasis on teleology that it has repercussions throughout his philosophy. Aristotle says that the best way to understand why things are the way they are is to understand the purpose for which they were created.
By studying the organs of the body, for example, we can verify their shape and composition, but we only understand them when we can decipher what they are supposed to do.
Aristotle's endeavor to apply teleology involves accepting that there is a reason for everything.
It assumes that we are essentially rational beings and argues that rationality is our final cause and that our highest goal is to fulfill our rationality.
two-
On very rare occasions Aristotle establishes strict and expeditious rules in the practical sciences, because he asserts that these fields are naturally inclined to a certain degree of error or inaccuracy.
It assumes as a fact that practical sciences such as politics or ethics are far more inaccurate in their methodology than logic, for example.
This statement is not intended to define politics and ethics as failed at the level of some ideal, rather it is critical of their nature.
Both disciplines, politics and ethics are related to people, and people are quite variable in their behavior.
Aristotle's position in politics is clear, since he seems to have doubts when suggesting what kind of constitution is the most convenient, but far from being an ambiguity, he simply recognizes that there may not be a single best constitution.
An ideal democratic regime is based on a population with education and generosity, but if it does not have these qualities, it accepts that another type of government might be more suitable.
Similarly, in his view of ethics, Aristotle does not suggest hard and fast rules regarding virtue because he assumes that different behaviors can be virtuous in other types of circumstances and time.
The unclearness of Aristotle's recommendations on the practical sciences represents his general view that different forms of study also need different treatments.
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According to Aristotle, everything that moves is moved by something or someone, and everything has a cause. This process cannot be maintained indefinitely, so the existence of a first motor is essential, which in turn is not driven by absolutely nothing.
That is the immobile motor, the primeval cause whose existence Aristotle proposes, which is pure form and has no matter, is perfect and contemplates himself in his perfection, to the point of associating said immobile motor with God.
4-
The word paradigm means in its simplest philosophical definition "example or role model."
Plato draws on his deep knowledge of mathematics to apply the same model of mathematical reasoning as a paradigm of what reasoning in general should be.
In the case of Aristotle, his knowledge and innate aptitude for biology makes it easier for him to apply this knowledge to establish comparisons in philosophical fields that are already very distant from biology.
For Aristotle it is very useful to study living beings to ask what is the function of a certain organ or process.
It is from this practical method that he manages to infer in general terms that all things have a purpose and that it is possible to better understand how things work if we ask ourselves what their purpose is.
In the same way, Aristotle develops a very ingenious way of classifying living organisms according to their species and genus, which he uses as a paradigm or example to develop systems for classifying anything, from rhetoric and politics to categories of being.
It is evident that Aristotle's work in the field of biology provides him with the skills and talent to observe and analyze things down to the smallest detail and reaffirms him in his postulate of observation as an intrinsic key to knowledge.
References
- SparkNotes Editors. (2005). SparkNote on Aristotle (384–322 BC). Retrieved August 30, 2017, from Sparknotes.com
- Conceptdefinicion.de. (December 26, 2014). Definition of "paradigm". Recovered from conceptdefinition.de
- Cofre, D. (April 26, 2012). "Aristotle". Recovered from daniel-filosofareducativo.blogspot.com
- Chase, M. (undated). "Teleology and final causality in Aristotle and in contemporary science." Recovered from academia.edu
- Javisoto86 (pseudonym). (March 6, 2013). "Aristotle's immobile motor". Recovered from es.slideshare.net