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Aristotle,
known as "the Philosopher" by later
thinkers, created a huge body of work that was virtually synonymous
with philosophy for over 2000 years. His most well-known doctrines
include the notions that morally virtuous people seek moderation
in all things (the "mean" between extremes); that the soul is
the essence or the characteristic activity of the living body;
that happiness is found not in mere pleasure, but in fully developing
the powers of the soul in pursuit of excellence throughout a
lifetime; and that in the good life we engage in the right activities
for their own sake.
Aristotle
organized and classified an immense amount of knowledge, much
of it scientific theories developed with only the crudest observational
tools. All knowledge is organized into the theoretical disciplines
(physics, "first philosophy" [metaphysics], and math); practical
disciplines (ethics and politics); and productive disciplines
(engineering, medicine, etc.). He classified four types of change
(generation / corruption, increase / decrease, alteration, and
locomotion) and four types of causation (the material, the formal,
the initiating force, and the goal). Aristotle formed a metaphysical
theory of what is real ("substance"), and described the idea
that all things have "potential" and "actual" characteristics.
He created logic to distinguish correct from incorrect reasoning;
and he reasoned that all motion ultimately is caused by an immutable
perfection, an unmoved "primer mover" - which Aristotle called
"God."
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On
two audiotapes or CDs - about three hours in length.
Narrator: Charlton Heston
Author: Professor Thomas C. Brickhouse
Editor: Professor John Lachs
Publisher: Knowledge Products, Inc.
This
title is part of the Audio Classics Series by
Knowledge Products. Knowledge Products publishes a variety of
audio presentations on the great ideas and events of history.
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