Aristotle, perhaps the most
famous Greek philosopher, lived between 384 and 322 B.C. Though he was born in
Stagira, near Macedonia, he spent much of his time writing and thinking in the
city of Athens. When he was still very young, he developed a relationship with
Plato, and the two eventually became friends and colleagues. After spending
roughly twenty years as a student of Plato, Aristotle decided to create his own
academy outside the city of Athens, in Asia Minor. Five years later he agreed to
tutor Alexander, son of the king of Macedonia. Later, Aristotle returned to
Athens to found another school. In this way, Aristotle had a certain
international appeal. Unlike Plato and Socrates who had a limited arena of
influence, Aristotle was able to spread Athenian ideas throughout the
Mediterranean world. Aristotle is credited for being one of the first studiers
of biology and physics, in addition to his interests in botany, zoology,
politics and philosophy. Though many of his ideas were later proven wrong,
Aristotle's logic-based method led to countless physical and philosophical
realizations that helped build the Western world.
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