10 Fun Interesting Facts about Aristotle Greek Scientist

(Last Updated On: April 16, 2021)

There are many interesting facts about Aristotle (384 BC – 322 BC) who was a historic Greek thinker and scientist who, by way of his works in quite a few fields, exerted an unparalleled effect within the west for nearly two millennia.

Interesting facts about Aristotle

Due to his study of just about all topics, he has been known as the final particular person to know every part there was to know. However, he additionally proposed many ridiculous theories and his work in a number of fields has been proved to be incorrect.

Due to his contributions in varied fields, Aristotle’s name has been used to explain many phrases. Moreover, a crater on the moon and the Aristotle Mountains in Antarctica are named after him.

Aristotle was a misogynist and his views on females have been used by way of the centuries to suppress ladies. Know more interesting facts about Aristotle from this article:

1. He has been known as the final particular person to know every part there was to know

During his lifetime, Aristotle wrote extensively making noteworthy contributions to quite a few fields together with astronomy, anatomy, embryology, geology, geography, meteorology, zoology, physics, ethics, aesthetics authorities, politics, metaphysics, economics, rhetoric, psychology, and theology.

He additionally studied high-quality arts making vital contributions to topics resembling literature, poetry, drama, and rhetoric. Aristotle was well-known throughout his time and he was referred to as “the man who knew everything”.

Later, within the 13th century, Thomas Aquinas named him “The Philosopher” as he believed that Aristotle is the one thinker one would ever need. In the center Ages, the well-known Italian poet Dante referred to Aristotle because of the “The Master” in his masterpiece Divine Comedy.

Aristotle has additionally been known as the final particular person to know every part there was to know; not as a result of there haven’t been different great polymaths however as a result of information has grown exponentially with time.

2. He proposed many theories that appear ridiculous as we speak

Although Aristotle was a genius and eager learner who had held information about a number of topics, he was fallacious about a number of issues. In truth, he proposed a number of ridiculous theories.

On occasion, Aristotle believed that the heart in the middle of intelligence in people and that the mind was solely a minor organ that cooled the blood, whereas additionally serving as the house of the human spirit to reside.

He even thought that the gender of goats is dependent upon the route wherein the wind is flowing! He thought-about ladies having lesser teeth than males and believed that eels don’t reproduce.

Moreover, he additionally thought-about celestial our bodies to be alive and went to the extent of questioning the rationale for which the moon doesn’t have wings.

3. Most of his work that survives is within the type of lecture notes

Aristotle recorded most of his works within the type of notes and manuscripts that wanted to be shielded from mites and mud with the intention to protect their content, interesting facts about Aristotle.

This is among the main the reason why even after him engaged on more than 200 manuscripts, solely about 31 of them stay accessible to the modern world. Followers of Aristotle, resembling Theophrastus and his scholar Neleus, maintain a big place in history for his or her function in taking care of the works of Aristotle.

These, together with different later members of Aristotle’s faculty Lyceum centered on preserving his work and commenting on it somewhat than extending it.

Though Aristotle wrote many elegant treatises and dialogues for publication; none of his work supposed for publication survived. His surviving works are largely lectured notes not supposed for publication.

4. His works had a significant effect on medieval Islamic thought

The works of Aristotle within the area of philosophy had such a significant effect on the sphere that he impressed a practice of philosophy which is called Aristotelianism after him.

This philosophical perspective relies on Aristotle’s contributions and ideologies within the fields of philosophical methodology, epistemology, metaphysics, aesthetics, ethics, and plenty of more. Historians have even linked fragments of Aristotelianism with early Islamic philosophical viewpoints.

During the center ages, within the Islamic Golden Age, works of Aristotle have been translated into Arabic and had a profound impact on Islamic thought and faith. He was in truth admired as “The First Teacher” amongst medieval Muslim students.

5. He might need to have an intimate relationship with a person

While visiting the courtroom of Hermias of Atarneus in Asia Minor, Aristotle met Pythias, the niece and adopted daughter of Hermias. Aristotle finally married Pythias and so they each had a daughter collectively, who additionally they named Pythias.

In 335 BC, Aristotle’s spouse Pythias died. He didn’t marry once more after the demise of his spouse however he did type a relationship with Herpyllis, who got here from his house city of Stagirus.

According to the 10th-century Byzantine encyclopedia Suda, Aristotle was additionally concerned in a love affair with a person named Palaephatus of Abydos, who was a historian. Palaephatus was additionally a well-liked writer who penned down historic Greek myths.

It was frequent for historic Greek males to take pleasure in romantic relationships with different males and Aristotle has been rumored to take pleasure in the same, interesting facts about Aristotle.

6. He believed that some males have been born natural slaves

According to Aristotle there exists one thing which he phrases natural slavery. He states {that a} natural slave is “anyone who, while being human, is by nature not his own but of someone else”. Also, “he is of someone else when, while being human, he is a piece of property.”

Aristotle believed that some males have been born natural slaves and so they ought to stay slaves underneath any circumstances. Other people who have been born to rule these slaves, might use these slaves as they are happy and will deal with them as property.

Aristotle causes that natural slaves had incomplete souls and thus they lacked sure talents like the flexibility to assume clearly. Consequently, they required a grasp, without whom they might not know the way to lead their lives. Moreover, in Aristotelian philosophy, the abolition of “natural slavery” would undermine civic freedom.

7. The Aristotle Mountains in Antarctica are named after him

Due to his quite a few contributions in varied fields, Aristotle’s name has been used to explain quite a few phrases used generally together with Aristotelian philosophy, Aristotelian logic, Aristotelian physics, Aristotelian ethics, and even Aristotelian frequent sense.

The name Antarctica is the romanized model of the Greek phrase antarktike. It means “opposite to the Arctic” or “opposite to the north”. In his guide Meteorology, Aristotle conjectured a couple of land-form within the southern high altitude area of the world and known as Antarctica.

This made him the first particular person to write down about Antarctica, even when he had no technique of realizing its existence. To honor this, the Aristotle Mountains in Antarctica are named after him. Apart from Antarctica, there’s a crater on the moon that has been named Aristoteles, the classical spelling and pronunciation of his name.

8. He was a misogynist and a supporter of patriarchy

Although Aristotle said that society won’t be pleased as a complete till ladies have been as pleased as males, he at all times thought-about ladies as lesser than males and believed that they lacked the flexibility to make logical choices.

Using this as a baseline, he argued in favor of a sexist political system that positioned husbands over their wives, interesting facts about Aristotle.

He believed ladies to be more impulsive, compassionate, complaining, and misleading as in comparison with males. Even in his idea of inheritance, Aristotle thought-about that whereas the daddy supplied lively materials to the kid, the mom was solely accountable to contribute with a passive materials ingredient.

Since Aristotle held a major place within the area of philosophy for ages, such misogynist arguments proposed by him have been used all through history to restrict the rights of ladies.

9. A 2016 analysis named Aristotle as probably the most influential particular person ever

In 2016, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) performed a complete historic analysis to search out probably the most influential people in history.

The outcomes of this claimed Aristotle to be the most well-liked and influential particular person to have ever lived. In truth, many students even think about Aristotle to be probably the most intelligent man ever. Many additionally think about Aristotle to be the first real scientist in history.

Though there are a lot of different distinguished scientists, many of whom proved Aristotle to be fallacious and eclipsed his scientific work, the sheer amount of the work carried out by Aristotle trumps every part in response to the analysis. Aristotle contributed to each main subject at a time when there have been nearly no technology or instruments to hold out his vision.

10. His quite a few theories have been proved to be incorrect

Aristotle was proved fallacious in nearly all his theories concerning physics and chemistry. For instance, Copernicus and Kepler established that the earth orbits the solar whereas Aristotle said that the sun orbits the earth.

Galileo’s telescope clearly confirmed mountains and craters on the moon, proving incorrect the Aristotelian thought of an incorruptibly good clean Moon.

Galileo’s experiments additionally proved that the speed at which one thing falls to earth doesn’t rely upon its mass whereas Aristotle believed that heavier objects fall to the earth sooner than lighter ones, interesting facts about Aristotle.

Thus, whereas on one hand, some regard Aristotle as one of the many biggest people in history, others state that Aristotle was fallacious about every part. Whatever may be the case, there isn’t any doubt that Aristotle exerted an unparalleled effect within the west.