Plato vs. Aristotle

[Allen773]

"Plato is dear to me, but dearer still is truth."

- Aristotle (supposedly, can't vouch for this as a quote though...)


Also, this:

We had perhaps better consider the universal good and run through the puzzles concerning what is meant by it—even though this sort of investigation is unwelcome to us, because those who introduced the Forms are friends of ours. Yet presumably it would be the better course to destroy even what is close to us, as something necessary for preserving the truth—and all the more so, given that we are philosophers. For though we love them both, piety bids us to honour the truth before our friends. (EN 1096a11–16)

Found here: http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/aristotle/#EssHomhttp://plato.stanford.edu/entries/aristotle/#EssHom

Just curious as to what your thoughts are on either (or both!) of these two giants of the Western intellectual tradition.

 

[metacristi]

- Aristotle (supposedly, can't vouch for this as a quote though...)


Also, this:


Found here: http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/aristotle/#EssHomhttp://plato.stanford.edu/entries/aristotle/#EssHom

Just curious as to what your thoughts are on either (or both!) of these two giants of the Western intellectual tradition.

Plato, it is said, used to call Aristotle the foal (who kick the mother after being fed) for rejecting much of his philosophy. Yet some of Plato's ideas left a strong imprint in Aristotle's system, like the common view that the search for knowledge implies finding causes and/or explanations.

No surprise that Plato was considered a friend (counting beyond the fact that Aristotle spent 20 years at Plato's Academy), in fact at Plato's death he even wrote an elegy praising him. Truth is truth though and the theory of Forms was not spared of, fully deserved, rational criticism. Happily a real friendship does not imply also intellectual dishonesty.

Both were very influential in the Western tradition (and not only) of course but with a substantial plus for Aristotle though. Indeed much more of his ideas are compatible (and actually shaped) the current wisdom, including his Politics; indeed the West has been guided by Aristotle's political ideas and not Plato's (unlike what happened in the Islamic world for example, with Aristotle's politics thoroughly ignored mainly on religious grounds along history).

Yet I'd say we must remain open to some variations of the theory of Forms (we should never reject fallibilism), what if indeed, unknown to us, the reality we perceive is less real than we think today (something deeper behind the 'veil' is the Reality)?

 

[lionking]

Plato in the third with a left hook.

 

[Darwin123]

Plato, it is said, used to call Aristotle the foal (who kick the mother after being fed) for rejecting much of his philosophy.

Frederick Douglas still calls Bill Cosby a fool mother after rejecting his comedy !-)

 

[Darwin123]

Frederick Douglas still calls Bill Cosby a fool mother after rejecting his depravity !-)

This is more fitting.