Aristotle

Aristotle (Ancient Greek: Ἀριστοτέλης, Aristotélēs; 384–322 BC) was an ancient Greek philosopher and polymath whose writings spanned the natural sciences, philosophy, linguistics, economics, politics, psychology, and the arts. As the founder of the Peripatetic school of philosophy at the Lyceum in Athens, he began the Aristotelian tradition that influenced Western science and philosophy for centuries. Born in Stagira, Aristotle joined Plato's Academy in Athens at age eighteen, remaining there until Plato's death. He later tutored Alexander the Great at the request of Philip II of Macedon. Despite writing many treatises, only about a third of his original output survives, primarily lecture notes for his students. His contributions include the systematic study of logic, the theory of the four causes, and extensive work in biology, ethics, and politics, influencing major figures like Thomas Aquinas and shaping medieval and modern thought.