Aristotle was once a student who spent nearly two decades learning and studying under Plato’s tutelage. Stageira, Chalcidice, was the birthplace and childhood home of Aristotle.
Aristotle was born in 384 B.C. on a specified date. Plato was born and raised in the Greek city of Athens.
Plato was born sometime between 424 and 423 BCE and 428 and 427 BCE. Socrates taught Plato, who was one of his students.
Later on, though, he assisted Aristotle in attaining academic achievement.
Key Takeaways
- Aristotle emphasized empirical observation and practical knowledge, while Plato focused on ideal forms and metaphysical concepts.
- Plato was Aristotle’s teacher, and their philosophical approaches diverged significantly, with Aristotle rejecting many of Plato’s ideas.
- Aristotle’s work laid the foundation for modern scientific inquiry, whereas Plato’s contributions influenced Western philosophy and theology more broadly.
Aristotle vs Plato
Aristotle’s empirical and practical theory states that senses are required to determine reality properly and one has to choose to act properly. Plato’s theory is abstract and utopian and states that thoughts are superior to senses and virtue can be taught by teaching someone right from wrong.
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Aristotle’s theories were based on the division of human reasoning into passive and creative modes. In this case, passive reasoning refers to the human outer body, which can die, whereas creative thinking refers to the part of the human body that lives eternally, namely the spiritual component that moves up to join God.
Aristotle’s thoughts and viewpoints were more individualistic. He placed the most emphasis on individual pleasure, stating it to be the most important purpose of humanity and a sort of achievement in the creation of a model society.
Plato’s theories were founded on the belief that the soul yearns to be free of the physical form of the human body and to become formless. Plato was also regarded as a reasonable man.
Plato placed a greater emphasis on society as a whole. It believes in people’s hard work and attempts to attain the goal of creating a model society.
Plato’s important ideas include Platonic realism, Platonic idealism, and the theory of forms. Plato was born and raised in Athens.
Comparison Table
| Parameters of Comparison | Aristotle | Plato |
|---|---|---|
| Relationship | Plato’s student | Aristotle’s teacher |
| Birthplace | Stageira, Chalcidice | Athens |
| Year of Birth | 384 Before Christ | 424/423 BCE or 428/427 BCE |
| Emphasized on | Individual happiness | The happiness of the whole society |
| Notable ideas | Passion, biology, logic, reason and the golden mean | Platonic realism, Platonic idealism and theory of forms. |
What is Aristotle?
Aristotle’s thoughts and viewpoints were more individualistic. He placed the greatest emphasis on individual pleasure, claiming it to be the most important purpose of humans and a sort of achievement in the creation of a model society.
Passion, biology, logic, reason, and the golden mean are just a few of Aristotle’s important ideas.
Ethics, logic, science, metaphysics, and politics were Aristotle’s principal concerns. Stageira, Chalcidice, was Aristotle’s birthplace and childhood home.
Aristotle was born in the year 384 BC (before Christ). Plato, Heraclitus, Socrates, and Parmenides influenced Aristotle.
Aristotle was once a student who spent nearly 20 years learning and studying under the tutelage of Plato.
The theories of Aristotle were based on the fact that human reasoning can be split into two types: passive and creative. In this case, passive reasoning refers to the human outer body, which can die, whereas creative thinking refers to the part of the human body that lives eternally, namely the spiritual component that ascends to join God.
What is Plato?
Plato was also thought to be a reasonable man. Plato placed a greater emphasis on the entire society or community.
It believes in people’s hard work and efforts to attain the goal of creating a model society. Platonic realism, Platonic idealism, and the theory of forms are only a few of Plato’s important ideas.
Family militarism, education, politics, morality, justice, literature, art, and rhetoric are the domains on which Plato has defined their interests. Plato was born and raised in the city of Athens.
Plato was born between 424 and 423 BCE and 428 and 427 BCE. Orphism, Heraclitus, Pythagoras, Parmenides, Aesop, Homer, Hesiod, and Socrates were all influences on Plato.
Plato was one of Socrates’ students who learned from him. Later on, though, he assisted Aristotle in achieving academic achievement.
Plato’s theories were founded on the idea that the soul yearns to be free of the physical form of the human body and to be formless.
Main Differences Between Aristotle and Plato
- Aristotle, in the past times, was a student who gained knowledge and studied under the guidance of Plato for nearly 20 years. On the other hand, Plato was one of the students who acquired knowledge from Socrates. However, later on, he guided Aristotle to achieve his academic success.
- Aristotle’s beliefs were based on the fact that human reasoning is subdivided into passive and creative. In, passive reasoning comprises the human outer body, which possesses the ability to die, and creative reasoning comprises the part which lives forever, that is, the spiritual part that moves up to join God. On the other hand, Plato’s beliefs were based on the fact that the soul always craves for its freedom from the physical form of the human body to become formless. Also, Plato was considered a rational man.
- Aristotle’s viewpoints and perspectives were more of an individualistic nature. He emphasized individual happiness the most by claiming it as human’s most important function and a type of achievement in building a model society. On the other hand, Plato gave more emphasis on the society or community as a whole. It believes in the hard work and efforts put forward by humans to achieve the motive of building a model society.
- Some of Aristotle’s notable ideas are passion, biology, logic, reason and the golden mean. On the other hand, some of the notable ideas that were put forward by Plato are Platonic realism, Platonic idealism and theory of forms.
- The areas of the main interests of Aristotle were ethics, logic, science, metaphysics and politics. On the other hand, the areas on which Plato has laid down their interests are family militarism, education, politics, virtue, justice, literature, art and rhetoric.
- The place where Aristotle was born and brought up was Stageira, Chalcidice. On the other hand, Athens is the place where Plato was born and brought up.
- The specific date of birth of Aristotle was 384 Before Christ. On the other hand, Plato was born in 424/423 BCE or 428/427 BCE.
- Aristotle was influenced by Plato, Heraclitus, Socrates and Parmenides. On the other hand, Plato was influenced by Orphism, Heraclitus, Pythagoras, Parmenides, Aesop, Homer, Hesiod, Socrates etc.
- https://www.taylorfrancis.com/books/mono/10.4324/9780203101667/new-essays-plato-aristotle-rle-plato-renford-bambrough
- https://www.jstor.org/stable/20129216
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Emma Smith holds an MA degree in English from Irvine Valley College. She has been a Journalist since 2002, writing articles on the English language, Sports, and Law. Read more about me on her bio page.
