REFLECTION ON ARISTOTLE’S LIFE, WORKS, and CONTRIBUTIONS

“The roots of education are bitter, but the fruit is sweet” is one of
the most known quoted lines of Aristotle. He may have said this because of
what he experienced during his struggles for his successful works and
contributions in the world of Science, Mathematics, Physics, and in some
other areas.

Aristotle’s early childhood life was not well known since there was no
exact information about himself. However, according to some traditional
stories, he was born in Stagira, Chalcidice Greece in 384 B.C. His father
Nichomachus, who served as a personal physician to King Amyntas of Macedon,
named him Aristotle which means “the best purpose”. Though inspired by his
father’s scientific works, Aristotle, however, did not show much interest in
Medicine. He chose different path instead. When he reached 18 years old,
Aristotle left to Athens to pursue his career at Plato’s Academy under the
care of Plato himself who became his teacher. Plato was a well-known Greek
philosopher and thinker. Plato whose real name is Aristocles was best known
as the author of philosophical works of unparalleled influence. Aristotle
spent almost 20 years in Athens for his career before he left in 348 – 347
B.C for Asia Minor.

Reaching to the place before Aristotle gained fame took him hardship
and struggles. In 343 B.C, King Philip II of Macedon invited him to become
the tutor of his son, Alexander, at the same time serving as the Head of
Royal Academy of Macedon. Aside from Alexander, Aristotle was also tutoring
Cassander and Ptolemy who also later became kings. However, his relationship
with Alexander as a teacher and student eventually made him return to Athens
in 335 B.C where he established his own school named Lyceum. It was said that
the cause of Aristotle’s return to Athens was because of his having a role
in the death of Alexander.

Aristotle spent most of his years teaching various courses in his own
school. It was truly proven that Aristotle was “the best purpose” to nearly
every aspect of human knowledge through his works and contributions in the
study of Science, Mathematics, Politics, Ethics, and other principles in
philosophy which we are studying and learning today. Aristotle has really
made significant and lasting contributions in the world of Science,
Mathematics, and Physics, from logic to biology to ethics and aesthetics.

Among Aristotle’s major works and contributions include Rhetoric,

Poetics, Metaphysics, Logic, Politics, Mathematics, Biology, Botany,
Agriculture, Medicine, Philosophy, Psychology, and Meteorology. In his works,
Aristotle explained his ideas on politics, discoveries and observations on
Science, logical reasoning and prior analytics in Mathematics, and principles
and philosophy on Ethics. Due to his contribution to Psychology, many scholars
considered him as the true father of Psychology since he is responsible for
the theoretical and philosophical framework that contributed as the first
book on psychology. Accordingly, Aristotle wrote around 200 works where most
of them were in the form of drafts and notes. These works comprised of
dialogues, records of scientific observations and systematic works and were
taken cared by his students Theophrastus and then Neleus. Aristotle’s most
considered significant treatises are Poetics, Metaphysics, Politics, Physics,
Metereology, Nicomachean and Eudemian Ethics, and De Anima (On the Soul). De
Anima (On the Soul) is Aristotle’s book in Psychology which is considered as
the first book in Psychology.
 In his works on Nicomachean Ethics which is believed to have been named
in tribute to his son, Nicomachus, Aristotle explained his wisdom on good
living. He asserted that good living to some degree defied that more
restrictive law of logic, since the real world poses circumstances that can
present a conflict of personal values. He referred “good living” as a “moral
code of conduct”. On the other hand, Eudemian Ethics is another of Aristotle’s
major treatises on the behavior and judgement that constitute “good living”.
In his treatises on Ethics, Aristotle aimed to discover the best way to live
life and give it a meaning. He said, “The supreme good for man” is his words
which Aristotle determined was the pursuit of happiness. He asserted that
our happiness is determined by our ability to live a life that enables us to
use and develop our reason. He also defined what he called the “golden mean”.
He believed “living a moral life” is a “ultimate goal” which means the “golden
mean”. Aristotle believed that “happiness” and “the golden mean” constitute
“good living”.

Aristotle died of a digestive complaint in Athens on 322 B.C at

the age of 62. He had a son and a daughter namely, Nicomachus and Phytias.
Nichomachus was his child from Herpyllis who was his slave. And Phytias,
named after her mother, was his child from Phytias whom he married during
his stay in Asia Manor.

It was said that after Aristotle’s death, his favored students took
over the Lyceum which was later faded in comparison to the rival academy.
For several generations, his works were all but forgotten. The historian
Strabo says they were stored for centuries in a moldy cellar in Asia Manor
before their rediscovery in the first century B.C. In 30 B.C, Andronicus of
Rhodes grouped and edited Aristotle’s remaining works in what became the
basis for all later editions. His works and contributions leave a legacy to
nearly every aspect of human knowledge although temporarily forgotten for
some decades after his death. Today, Aristotle’s works remain a significant
starting point for any argument in the fields of logic, aesthetics, political
theory and ethics.

Among Aristotle’s quotes which he may have based from his struggles in
life for his careers are:

“There is no great genius without some touch of madness.”

“It is during our darkest moments that we must focus to see the light.”
“The roots of education are bitter, but the fruit is sweet.”