Aristotle
In 367 BC, at the age of 17, Aristotle was sent by his parents to Plato's Academy. His father was a physician heavily influenced Aristotle in his childhood years on the subject of biology and human anatomy. You can compose your research paper on Aristotle and Paper Masters can Help you get started.
Once established at the Academy, Aristotle remained for 20 years. He left when Plato died, angry that he was not named to succeed his mentor. He traveled with a small circle of friends for about 12 years, and ultimately invited two of Plato's graduates to set up a branch of the Academy to spread Greek rule and Greek philosophy in Asia. During this time, Aristotle wrote about 12 chapters of his book, Politics, and also On Kingship, in which he offered the view that the king and philosopher had vastly different functions. Other great works by Aristotle include:
- The Metaphysics
- Poetics
- Nicomachean Ethics
- On the Soul
Aristotle's Early Life
Aristotle married a woman named Pythias, who died an early death. He then moved to Mytilene, the capital of Lesbos, where his interest moved along to biology. At that period in his life, Aristotle put forth the view that all organisms, both plants and animals, have natural ends or goals, and he put a theological emphasis on this thinking, saying plant and animal life were both associated with a relation of the soul to the body.
Aristotle the Teacher
More than a philosopher and biologist, Aristotle taught Alexander the Great, who was a 13-year-old boy when Aristotle taught him valor, and the need to dominate and conquer the barbarians. When he returned to Athens, he continued teaching his importance of the city-state philosophy, and also continued his biological studies. Following the death of Alexander the Great in 323 BC, Aristotle feared harm from factions in Athens. He left for the island of Euboea, where he died at age 62 from a stomach illness. Like Plato, Aristotle's philosophy and biology advancements are still admired and studied today.