DIFFERENCES BETWEEN PLATO AND ARISTOTLE’S THEORIES

 

Plato (c. 428–c. 348 BCE) and Aristotle (384–322 BCE) are generally regarded as the two greatest figures of Western philosophy. Aristotle was Plato’s student and colleague at the Academy in Athens, an institution for philosophical, scientific, and mathematical research and teaching founded by Plato in the 380s. But Aristotle is not a blind follower of Plato. He has different views on some concepts of Plato and also criticize him.

·        Plato was more rationalist. He believed that knowledge has permanent importance. He said in this universe we solve many problems even with thoughts, abstracta are what is True, Good, and Beautiful, which we discover through contemplation.

 On the other hand, Aristotle was more empiricist. He believed in observation of reality is of paramount importance. we need to perform physical experiments and collect and analyze evidence to answer questions.

·        Plato is an idealist. He could conceive of an “ideal” without any

concrete manifestation. He could think of ‘Beauty’ without any ‘beautiful thing’. He propounds the philosophy of general to particular.

Aristotle is a realist. He doesn’t believe in this. According to him “no universal can exist things apart from particular”. He taught that reality is in particular thing not in general ideals. He propounds the philosophy of particular to general.

Regarding rhetoric:

·        For Plato, rhetoric is illusion, which (usually) leads us away from Truth.

On the other hand, for Aristotle, rhetoric is useful for fostering understanding and appreciation.

·        Plato was very speculative, concerned more with theories than with facts. But

Aristotle is called first Political scientist. Because he is the first thinker who study political system with comparative method and empirically.

·        Plato neglect of the experience of the ages. Plato wants to create ideal state. He

wants to change whole system and create their own law. But Aristotle believe in experience of ages. He was little conservative in this side. He criticized Plato on the basis that there is the value of custom and traditions. We can’t change all these customs to create and ideal state. He would not like to have a new institution which does not accord with the existing political experience.

·        Plato believe in idea of unity of the state. With the good education system,

 he wants to make unity of state in which all individual only work according to their classes like Rulers, Soldiers and Peasants. They should function according to their capability. But Aristotle in other hand didn’t agree with Plato’s this concept. He believed that there should be unity in diversity in state. State can’t be united in pure sense. The right type of unity in the state comes out of proper organization of relations among individuals who are different from on another. He points out that Plato’s scheme of functional specialization would lead to disunity rather than unity. Special training and environment for the Soldiers will make them exclusive in outlook and interests. There will be a great divergence of sentiment, character and education between the trained Soldiers and the untrained peasants.

·        Plato believe in communism of property and wives for Ruler and

Soldiers so that they only focus on their function and not try to do corruption because family or wives require private property and greed to gain property enhance corruption. But Aristotle didn’t believe in this concept. He believed that ownership of property is natural to human beings and also essential for the fullest moral development of the individuals. If the individual’s moral development suffers, naturally the State as a whole suffers.