Plato and Aristotle Notes

• Plato was Aristotle's teacher
• Socrates was Plato's teacher
• 428-374 BCE - Plato
• came from aristocrat family wealthy, educated
• born in Athens (known for intelligence)
• Present at teacher's exitcution (399) had taught Plato for 20yrs
• traveled in Egypt, started a school in Athens called the Academy
• spent rest of life teaching
• wrote dialoges on how people should think (effective filter) and that it defines you
• The Republic - book he wrote
• famous theories (Atlantis) came up w/ the first idea of hell (reason)
• Think on your own; understand your thoughts
• life and people = people living in a cave live is stuck in the cave and refuseto believe there is more to life (thinking outside the box)
• Body - spirit, desire, rational (harmony =justice in the head)
• 2 low classes ruled by an upper class because they are well educated
• commander or ruler stripped of personal properties
• Physical and mentalphysical
• 387-322 BCE - Aristotle
• More of a scientist/ father was a doctor of royal family
• At 17 he moved to Athens and studied at the Academy for 20 yrs
• forced out of Athens /greece taken over by king Phillip (macedonian)
• went to Asia Minor and knew King Hermious and married his niece
• moved to Pelia to be king Phillip's advisor
• Aristotle was Alexander the Great's tutor
• went back to Athens and stated his own school callled the Lyceum/ walking school, talk and share thoughts casually
• Macedonians treated people badly looked down upon
• believed you have to work and develop tools and work to achieve anything
• wrote books on science, math, and zoology
• music and proverbs
• came up w/ why humans ere here (purpose of life)
• original idea that the univers revolves around Earth
• created the idea of elements of the earth (fire, water, and earth)
• believed a ruler should be a little corrupted and rough
• worked w/ pathagorus and worked w/ phycology(soul)
• believed our soul was our diving compass

Plato and Aristotle had some opposing opinions on government. For example, Plato believed in a perfected, well-educated ruler, whereas Aristotle thought a ruler should be a little off balanced and not so perfect. One reason why these two thought differently was because they were brought up in different societies. Plato came from a wealty, articratic, and intelligent society, however, Aristotle came from a middle class society. Because Plato came from such an intelligent place, his opinion about a ruler stems off from where he comes from. Aristotle came from an average family and therefore requires an average ruler and knows there is no such thing as a perfect king.