What Are The Similarities And Differences Between Plato And Aristotle?

by | Last updated on January 24, 2024

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Both Aristotle and Plato

believed thoughts were superior to the senses

. However, whereas Plato believed the senses could fool a person, Aristotle stated that the senses were needed in order to properly determine reality. An example of this difference is the allegory of the cave, created by Plato.

What did Plato and Aristotle both agree on?

Both Plato and Aristotle based their theories on four widely accepted beliefs:

Knowledge must be of what is real

.

The world experienced via the senses is what is real

.

Knowledge must be of what is fixed and unchanging

.

What is the difference between Plato’s and Aristotle’s theory of imitation?

So Plato alleges poetry of counterfeiting and feigning through imitation. Aristotle however believes that imitation

promotes morality

. … Imitation for Aristotle has very positive relation with morality. Boethius is more influenced by moral philosophy of Plato rather than theoretical work of Aristotle.

What are the similarities between Aristotle and Socrates?

Socrates and Aristotle have many similarities in their moral theories. They both believe that

a virtuous person acts justly and those just actions are good

.

What are the differences between Plato and Aristotle?

The main difference between Plato and Aristotle philosophy is that

the philosophy of Plato is more theoretical and abstract in nature

, whereas the philosophy of Aristotle is more practical and experimental in nature.

What are the main ideas of Aristotle?

In aesthetics, ethics, and politics, Aristotelian thought holds that

poetry is an imitation of what is possible in real life

; that tragedy, by imitation of a serious action cast in dramatic form, achieves purification (katharsis) through fear and pity; that virtue is a middle between extremes; that human happiness …

Is Aristotle or Plato better?

Though many more of Plato’s works survived the centuries,

Aristotle’s contributions have arguably been more influential

, particularly when it comes to science and logical reasoning. While both philosophers’ works are considered less theoretically valuable in modern times, they continue to have great historical value.

What is the highest form of happiness according to Aristotle?

Aristotle concludes the Ethics with a discussion of the highest form of happiness:

a life of intellectual contemplation

. Since reason is what separates humanity from animals, its exercise leads man to the highest virtue.

What is Plato’s theory?

Plato’s Theory of Forms asserts

that the physical realm is only a shadow, or image, of the true reality of the Realm of Forms

. So what are these Forms, according to Plato? The Forms are abstract, perfect, unchanging concepts or ideals that transcend time and space; they exist in the Realm of Forms.

What is form according to Aristotle?

Thus according to Aristotle, the matter of a thing will consist of those elements of it which, when the thing has come into being, may be said to have become it; and the form is

the arrangement or organization of those elements

, as the result of which they have become the thing which they have.

How did Aristotle and Plato differ in their view on poetry?

According to Plato,

poetry imitates only superficial appearance like a painter

. But Aristotle believed that poetry not only imitates the external but also internal emotions. Plato condemned poetry on moral, intellectual and emotional grounds. Aristotle justifies poetry on moral, intellectual and emotional grounds.

How does Aristotle meet Plato’s criticism of poets?

Aristotle agrees with Plato in

calling the poet an imitator and creative art, imitation

. He imitates one of the three objects – things as they were/are, things as they are said/thought to be or things as they ought to be. In other words, he imitates what is past or present, what is commonly believed and what is ideal.

Does Aristotle think everyone can be virtuous?

Although mental abstraction, restraint from bodily pleasures, and keeping the soul in the correct proportions will tend one to becoming virtuous, they can only truly become virtuous in the afterlife through direct contact with the forms. For Aristotle however, we find

that the virtuous person is indeed possible

.

What are the similarities and differences between Plato and Socrates?

Both the men viewed democracy as a poor form of government.

Socrates argued in favor of an intellectual aristocracy

whereas Plato divided the perfect society into three classes and advocated a government comprising of workers, philosopher kings, and soldiers that reflected a form of republic.

What are the similarities between Socrates Plato and Augustine?

Socrates, Plato, and Augustine were all

dualists who believed the soul to be immortal

. Socrates believed the soul is immortal. He also argued that death is not the end of existence. It is merely separation of the soul from the body.

Are Aristotle and Socrates the same person?

Although there were Greek philosophers before their respective births,

Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle

are the only three worth focusing on during this period. Socrates, born in Athens in 470 BC, is often credited as one of the founders of Western philosophy.

Amira Khan
Author
Amira Khan
Amira Khan is a philosopher and scholar of religion with a Ph.D. in philosophy and theology. Amira's expertise includes the history of philosophy and religion, ethics, and the philosophy of science. She is passionate about helping readers navigate complex philosophical and religious concepts in a clear and accessible way.