Aristotle and Plato: Key Concepts of Knowledge and Soul
Aristotle and Plato: Key Concepts
1. Ontological Logic Explained
Logic, according to this perspective, isn’t a science but rather a set of observations about the logos. The logos is understood as the way things are revealed in truth and appear in their being. Therefore, there’s no separation between the organization of thoughts and the order of things themselves; both refer to the logos. There’s no need to distinguish between logic (the organization of thought) and ontology (the organization of things) because logic is inherently ontological.
2. Aristotelian Classification of Knowledge
Aristotle categorized knowledge into three types:
- Productive Knowledge: Technical knowledge related to the production of useful things. Productive sciences aim to satisfy basic needs for sustaining life.
- Practical Knowledge: Ethical-political knowledge related to free or elective action, seeking virtue (knowing how to behave). Practical sciences focus on exercising freedom.
- Theoretical Knowledge: Scientific knowledge related to the mode of being of things themselves. Theoretical sciences investigate the laws of reality.
3. Aristotelian Hylomorphism
Hylomorphism posits that physical bodies are composed of matter and form, with matter being the material substrate and form being the organizing principle. This concept addresses the need for both material and formal causation in physical beings, as attributed by Aristotle. Matter and form cannot be separated; when the body (matter) dies, the soul (form) also ceases to exist. This concept reveals Aristotle’s materialistic leanings, contrasting with his teacher Plato’s idealism.
5. Aristotelian Conception of the Knowledge Process
Aristotle distinguished several levels of knowledge:
- Sensitive Knowledge: Derived directly from sensation, it’s immediate and fleeting, characteristic of lower animals.
- In higher animals, sensory memory and imagination can lead to more persistent knowledge.
- The highest level of knowledge involves understanding, where we know the reason and cause of objects. This knowledge necessarily comes from experience.
Sense knowledge is the starting point, culminating in true understanding.
9. Plato’s Conception of Body and Soul
The union of soul and body is an essential, but accidental and transient state for the soul, because the soul’s true place is the world of ideas. While attached to the body, the soul’s fundamental task is purification, preparing for the contemplation of ideas.
11. Correspondence Between Soul and State
According to Plato, the state mirrors the tripartite structure of the human soul. The three parts of the soul correspond to social classes:
- Producers: Dedicated to economic activity.
- Auxiliary Guards: Dedicated to defending and maintaining order.
- Rulers or Perfect Guardians: The three social groups align with the three parts of the soul: producers with appetite, auxiliary guards with spirit, and rulers with reason.
Plato defines justice as the proper ordering of these three parts within the soul and the state.