The origin of Aristotle is inextricably linked with Macedonia. In 384 BC e., when he was born, this state was on its way to its heyday. Here was the city where Aristotle was born. The biography of the philosopher began in a place called Stagir (there are also options for writing "Stagira" or "Stagira"). According to the then tradition, people were assigned a second name, formed from their hometown. Therefore, Aristotle is also known as Stagirite.
A family
He was born on the peninsula of Halkidiki. Now it is the north of Greece, and then it was the outskirts of the entire Hellenistic world. Nearby was wild Thrace. A mixed population lived here, since over the years of the existence of the colonies, the barbarians mixed with the newcomers of the Greeks. But Aristotle was a purebred descendant of the inhabitants of Attica. His father Nicomachus was a famous physician who lived at the court of the Macedonian king.
His profession was highly respected and appreciated in Antiquity. The Greeks generally believed that all doctors came from the god Asclepius. Therefore, the family of the philosopher was noble and famous. The thinker himself adopted these views and also considered himself a distant descendant of Asclepius. All this seems naive, but in that era such views were extremely widespread. Therefore, it is not surprising that Aristotle managed to combine a deep mind and faith in the popular cult of the Olympic gods.
Appearance in Athens
The evidence of contemporaries on the appearance of the thinker has been preserved. In his youth, he was a plain-looking man. At the age of 17, he first visited Athens, the cultural and political center of Greece. Quite fragmentary information exists about this period. It is believed that the young man was then engaged in spending his father’s inheritance, engaged in quackery, and even served in the military. Trading medical drugs, for the first time he was surrounded by philosophers with whom he participated in disputes.
Plato Academy
Who is Aristotle? He became famous for his intellectual work. The Academy acted as good soil for this, where he ended up in his 18th year of life. There he quickly became one of the main students of another great philosopher - Plato. Raphael’s famous fresco "School of Athens" depicts these two thinkers during a lively debate in which all students of the Academy are present.
It is here that the young man begins to engage in theoretical research, and also writes his first literary works. The first genre he mastered is philosophical dialogues. This was done following the example of the teacher Plato, who also began with such scriptures.
One of the most famous dialogues of that period is considered to be "Edem, or About the soul." In it, Aristotle talks about the fate of one of the students of Plato, expelled from the Academy.
Oratory
In addition, to understand who Aristotle is, it is important to note that the earliest activities at the Academy included the development of rhetoric. The ability to speak to people and convey their thoughts to them was very much appreciated in ancient Greece. Therefore, the philosopher was engaged not only in theory, but also constantly lectured, including at the Academy, where he was considered an unsurpassed master of this art. His talent was noted by many speakers of subsequent eras, including Cicero, who recognized the enormous influence of Aristotle on his own views.
The gap with the platonists
In 347, Plato died. Aristotle had a huge number of differences of opinion with him, however, it was the senior teacher who was his main guardian and support. The Thinker could not find a common language with other students of the Academy. Shortly before that, the Macedonian king Philip destroyed the hometown of the philosopher Stagir, after which he lost two places that were close to him. Therefore, Aristotle soon left Athens and went to Asia Minor. This happened during his internal crisis.
Even then, many works were written, which united the philosophy of Aristotle. Briefly, they were collected by Andronicus of Rhodes after the author’s death and united into the “Metaphysics”.
Teacher Alexander
The first time after moving, he stayed in the cities of Assos and Mytilene, which were mentioned in his own letters. Next was the island of Lesbos, where the works of Aristotle consisted in teaching. This activity did not go unnoticed, and the philosopher was invited to the court of Philip of Macedon, who was looking for a teacher for his son Alexander. This young man was the very commander who in the future conquered half of the ancient world.
Despite the fact that Aristotle was born in Macedonia, he was always considered a Greek. The thinker sincerely believed that the greatness of Hellenistic culture could cover all neighboring countries. At this time, the Greeks lived much richer and more comfortable than their many neighbors. The education of citizens has become the foundation for a new kind of society.
All these advantages were recognized by Aristotle. The books of the philosopher continue this idea. The only thing that Greece lacked for unification and expansion, in his opinion, was a strong and strong-willed king. It was he who was seen by the philosopher in the youth of Alexander. Aristotle embarked on a regular and comprehensive education of the lad.
The philosopher positively influenced both the king and his son. For example, he often pacified the anger of the hot-tempered Alexander, who tried to listen to the opinion of the teacher. From Aristotle, he took not only philosophical and oratory knowledge, but also an interest in the natural sciences, including medicine, in which he was well oriented for his era. In his campaigns, Alexander always had with him a copy of the Iliad, which Aristotle had compiled for him.
Likey
In 336 BC, King Philip was killed by a traitor among his bodyguards. Alexander was supposed to stand at the head of the state, after which he did not have time to study. Therefore, Athens again turned out to be the place where Aristotle settled. The biography of the philosopher made a circle and returned to the starting point. But he did not become a teacher at the Academy, as before. The reason for this was the numerous discrepancies with the students of Plato, who ran these institutions.
Therefore, a new school appeared in Athens - Likey, whose head was Aristotle. The books of the thinker and his fame as a teacher attracted a huge number of students. The name of the institution was adopted due to the proximity of the temple of Apollo Likey. As you might guess, the word "lyceum" came from here.
Comparison with the Academy
Likey and the Academy became two rival centers of ancient education. Moreover, they had a similar structure. For example, Likey was associated with the god Apollo, and the Academy had a temple of Athena. Each school had its own gymnasium. It was a special institution, where they taught the basics of literacy, as well as engaged in physical training. In ancient Greece, the cult of a healthy lifestyle and sport flourished. Many philosophers were athletes, and some even performed at the Olympics.
What Aristotle is famous for is his attention to health problems, because he was also a doctor. The Academy was located in the northwestern suburbs of Athens, while Likey was located in the east of the city near the Diokharov Gate. These places were known for their sources of clean drinking water. Aristotle's ideas inspired his student Antisthenes to establish another school nearby. It was a Kinosarg.
The daily routine of the philosopher and head of the school was systematic. In the mornings, he conducted classes with a selected circle of his own students, distinguished by their talent and sharp mind.
This was followed by a dinner with friends, where scholarly conversations were also held, for which a regulation was even developed. For example, once every ten days, the chairman of such “meetings” changed. Towards evening, the teacher gave an extended lecture or oratory to a wide range of students.
There was a huge library in Lyceum that attracted curious students. It has not been preserved to this day, but the surviving works written in Likey have a huge number of references to other authors and works. This is not surprising if you recall who Aristotle is for then Greece. He was the teacher of Alexander, and he was his patron and sponsor. The Macedonian gold bought the rarest and most valuable books, which were not even in the Academy of Platonists.
Politics
During the years of his life in Lyceum, Aristotle wrote one of his most famous treatises on the state. It is called "Politics." It contains the foundations of the theory of government, as well as discusses issues of slavery, citizenship, the family as a component of society, etc. Aristotle's works were aimed at formulating the structure of an ideal policy.
The treatise is divided into 8 books. Each of them covers a specific issue of state building. The author developed the ideas of Plato, for example, compared democracy and oligarchy, and also talked about the education of youth. All this embraced the philosophy of Aristotle. He briefly examined the causes of conflict in society and tyranny. Also, the writer for the first time proposed to divide the power into three parts: judicial, official and legislative. That is, this is precisely the system that now exists in many states. If Aristotle is famous for anything, then the definition of the most balanced and successful system of managing society.
Escape from Athens and death
In 323 BC, Alexander the Great died . It happened in Babylon - its new capital. For the first time, heading east, the king never returned to his homeland, or at least to Greece. He has reached the limits of India. His new power united many nations. Hellenism was imposed on them all. However, the Greeks themselves treated the Macedonians badly.
Therefore, after the death of Alexander in Athens, nationalist performances began. Aristotle was under the patronage of the king. But after his passing away, the old thinker could not live quietly in the capital of the rebellious Greece. Despite the fact that the philosopher worked tirelessly in his school and did not leave Athens during these years, he was still considered a stranger because of his Macedonian origin.
Even Likey all this time was not his property in the strict sense of the word. The land did not belong to the philosopher, since he was not an Athenian citizen. If unaware citizens asked who Aristotle was, they were told that it was a stranger. That was harsh reality.
Aristotle's years of life ended on the island of Euboea, where he decided to move in search of calm and solitude. This happened in 322, that is, only a year after the abandonment of Athens. There is an unconfirmed version that a philosopher who was in a deep crisis poisoned himself with aconite. This is a poisonous plant, the smallest dose of the extract of which can lead to cardiac arrest.