Philosophy is the result of a combination of empirical knowledge and that which goes beyond their scope, that is, epistemes. So Aristotle claimed. The ontology, presented to him for general discussion, gained worldwide fame and was able to glorify his name for centuries. He is the parent of logic, the founder of dualism, the best student and fierce opponent of Plato.
Ontology
Ontology is a branch of the science of philosophy, which describes the principles of the origin of being, its structure, patterns of development, and variants of the final state. It can be modified, according to the requirements of the era and the level of human knowledge, as well as under the influence of various philosophical schools. This explains why each philosophical system has its own ontology, which is different from the rest, and undergoes changes along with the development of this system.
Separately, the ontology of Aristotle existed. Its essence, value in the system of cognition consisted in the fact that the author introduced several issues open for discussion, such as:
1. Is there a being?
2. What is the divine mind and does it exist?
3. Where is the verge of transforming matter into form?
It was Aristotle who simply separated science from philosophy, and divided it into two more parts. In the first, the so-called metaphysics, rhetorical, abstract questions were examined, the purpose of which was to understand what is the meaning of human existence. And the second contained very specific thoughts about man, the structure of the world and nature, the laws of society, and served as another tool of knowledge.
Form and Matter
The existence of the objective world can be perceived and analyzed through sensations - such was put forward by Aristotle's theory. The ontology of his philosophy argued that being is the unity of form and matter, with “matter” being the possibility of embodiment in form, and “form” is being, the reality of matter. A thing is the embodiment of form and matter, however, it can also change, move from one possibility to another. But sooner or later, the final stage of transformation begins. And the possibility, that is, matter, is finally actualized in the form.
Reasons for change
The ontology and epistemology of Aristotle point to four causes of the variability of the world:
- The formal reason that is required to comply with a transformation plan
- Material, that is, the activity of the substrate itself.
- The acting one is the force that transforms the substrate.
- The target reason is the final result of the transformations to which the thing strives.
If we are talking not about a specific object or thing, but about the world as a whole, then Aristotle, whose ontology does not deny the presence of only matter, but also a certain form of the world that is not accessible to our understanding, says that the world is in constant motion. To admit that sooner or later he will stop, it is impossible, because for this you need some kind of resistance. But how can outside action appear if the movement in the world has stopped? There is a prime mover, an intangible driving force that provides our world with constant movement. So Aristotle reasoned. Philosophy, the ontology of which contains the prerequisites for the presence of a perpetual motion machine, emphasizes that it is immaterial, and therefore incorporeal. The purest form of energy without form is the mind (or pure mind). Consequently, the mind is the existence of the highest degree of this understanding.
Epistemology
This is part of the philosophy that deals with the thoria of knowledge, their criticism, development and evidence. It is this discipline that understands whether philosophical knowledge in the real world can be applied or will remain only inferences. The source of knowledge, as is known, is experience. Especially valuable is the knowledge experienced by the researcher on himself. The problem of cognition was close to philosophers at that moment, and, without being left aside, Aristotle, whose ontology included an understanding of the process of obtaining knowledge, developed his theory.
Theory of knowledge
As a starting point, he decided to take the fact that, in addition to the subject of the researcher, there is still reality independent of his will. He argues that the knowledge that the senses give is equivalent to that which we gain through inference. And that, along with the study of the formal components of any thing, we also comprehend its individuality. It is this combination of empirical experience and rational conclusions that makes it possible to understand the fullness of truth.
Entities
The definition of the first and second essence of the subject also carries the ontology of Aristotle. Its essence: the value of the individuality of a thing lies in the process of cognition. The first essence is that the subject learns about the subject in the process of sensory cognition, and the second is derived from it. The second entities do not reflect all the nuances of individual being, but rather are specific or generic characteristics.
Teacher
The anthology of Plato and Aristotle deeply examines the concept of man and the state. And although they agree on some issues, basically their theories are opposite to each other. According to the theory of Plato, a person immediately belongs to both the physical and spiritual realms of being. And if everything is clear with the physical aspect, then the soul can take various configurations. Based on this, the types of people who are prone to hard work, creativity, maintaining order, managing other people, etc. are distinguished. In an ideal state, each person is in his place, and the idyll reigns.
Aristotle is of a different opinion, although his theory is also utopian. According to him, an ideal state is one in which all property is evenly divided between people, and they use it rationally, then there are no conflicts, everyone lives in harmony with each other.
Despite differences in views, issues that related to slavery, the emergence of the state and the principles of its management were considered by both pundits almost identically.