Politics

Aristotle was born in Northern Greece in 384 BCE. His origin story began in Macedonia where his father was a doctor. His father and mother died when Aristotle was young, and the boy was raised by his older sister. Little is known about Aristotle’s early years. In 367 B.C., Aristotle arrived in Athens to study under Plato, the Greek philosopher who had been a student of Socrates. Plato ran a school called the Academy. There, Aristotle was introduced to an education on forms and was encouraged to apply inquiry to the world around him. Along with his predecessor, Aristotle developed a reputation as one of the greatest scientific and philosophical thinkers in the Western world. However, Aristotle was not always granted the same access as his peers.

While in Athens, Aristotle could not participate in political activity due to resentment against Macedonians. The philosopher considered political action as a vital component of achieving happiness, yet he was barred from engaging in politics while living in Athens. Plato had taught a theoretical approach to thinking about politics, but Aristotle’s ideas contrasted with his teacher’s. He viewed political knowledge as practical rather than theoretical, believing that politics provided a key to enacting virtue.