Science SAGE09

Ms. Campbell
Jasmin Luu
Penelope Tweten
Aristotle's Biography

Aristotle was a scientist and philosopher of great renown. He contributed many vital
ideas in a plethora of fields, such as philosophy, physics, astronomy, geology, psychology and
biology. Aristotle was born in 384 BC, in the town of Stagira (Northern Greece). His parents both
came from families with traditional medical backgrounds and his father was King Amyntus the
III’s court physician. After Aristotle's father passed Aristotle remained closely affiliated with the
King’s court. Although little is known of what happened to his mother it is believed that she also
died when he was rather young.

At the age of 17 Aristotle was enrolled in Plato’s Academy, where he spent twenty years
as a student and a teacher. Aristotle left the academy soon after Plato’s death, emerging into
the world with a great amount of respect. After that he spent five years furthering his education
at Lesbos and Assos, it was here where he took on marine biology and married his wife Pythias.
He had a single daughter, named after her mother. In 342 BC Aristotle was called upon by King
philip the II to tutor his son (the future Alexander the Great).

In 335 BC Aristotle returned to Athens to truly take his place amongst the great
philosophers at Lyceum. A temple dedicated to Apollo, where philosophers would come to teach
as well as to speak their thoughts (Such as Isocrates, Plato, and Socrates). After living a full and
prosperous life Aristotle passed on at the age of 62 in 322 BC, due to natural causes.

Aristotle practiced a specific style when investigating science. He gathered data that was
common to groups of animals and discovered patterns. From this he had inferred possible
explanations for different things. This way of investigating science is common in modern biology
when lots of data becomes available in a field. This style does not often result in the same
amount of certainty as the experimental science counterpart, but it can result in testable
hypotheses and narratives for observed ideas.

Throughout his life he provided many valued thoughts in both the sciences and
philosophy. One of his more well known scientific theories was the Elemental Theory, which
went against the Atomic Theory. Aristotle related the four elements earth, water, fire and air to
four qualities, hot cold, wet and dry. Through his research in regards the the elements he also
came to terms with the elemental theory. The elemental theory stated that all materials were not
composed of atoms, but instead small components of each element ( Earth, Fire. Water and
Air). Aristotle also added a fifth element to the original four, Aether, which he called the “divine
substance” that made up the stars and planets. Aristotle strongly disagreed with the atomic
theory discovered by John Dalton and did everything in his power to convince others of that the
elemental theory was factual. But alas, in the end it was proven that the atomic theory was in
fact correct and although Aristotle may have have retarded scientific progress, he did provide
quite useful insight in regards to many other fields.