What separates Plato from Aristotle? Is one superior to the other?

[TarkanAttila]

is there a difference between Plato and Aristotle, and is one superior to the other? IIRC, Aristotle is a student of Plato. But what separates them?

 

[Pathofvirtue]

St. Thomas Aquinas calls Aristotle “The Philosopher” as a mark of respect that he is the best. But Plato is also considered a great philosopher and a genius. The two of them had different views on what constitutes basic reality (metaphysics or the ground of being). Plato who actually taught Aristotle, had a metaphysics that said the ultimate reality is in the world of Ideas where the essences of things resided. For example, there are many tables on earth but in the world of Ideas, there is the ultimate table or the perfect idea of a table. It’s not a physical reality but a spiritual one, and the point is that the really real world-- is the world of ideas. Aristotle taught that the essence or true being of something (like a table) exists in the thing itself, in the form of the thing. So in every table that exists on earth, it has a form of “table-ness” that holds the true essence of being a table. This is a simplified answer but that is the basic concept. Plato also thought that learning was a type of remembering what we once knew but had forgotten. I think he believed in some version of re-incarnation. Overall, Aristotle is considered more a scientist type of philosopher because he taught that we learned through our senses interacting with the physical world. Aristotle taught that the permanent things and the changeable things exists with and in each other: one, substance (permanent) and the other accidents (changeable). An example of this is the teaching of the church on the Eucharist, where we believe the bread and wine change into the Body and Blood of Jesus. It still looks like bread and wine but the substance or form or essence of it changes into the Lord, while the accidents or matter continue looking like bread and wine. The true substance or essence changes only. I hope this helps a little bit. Patrick

 

[Patty23]

When I was younger I tend to see them as having different philosophies. Of course in philosophy they are different, Aristotle’s philosophy was somewhat a reaction to Plato’s phlosophy. However, being engaged more with faith than in religion, I now see that it’s possible that they just have different focuses just like Augustine and Aquinas. I never saw that when I studied philosophy more. I can’t even respectfully call Plato a philosopher since he was very speculative. But then, I now enjoy him more than Aristotle. I was a huge Aristotle fan by the way.

 

[Charlemagne_III]

For me the principle difference was not only what they thought, but how they explored their thoughts.

Aristotle was essentially an essayist.

Plato was more a dramatist, with Socrates always the protagonist at the center of the debate.

Aristotle was more of a Realist. Plato more of an Idealist.

If I had to go back and read either at my advanced age, I think I would choose Plato.

In particular, The Republic.

I would also encourage a younger person to begin with Plato, then go on to Aristotle.

I guess for essentially the same reason I would encourage a young person to read *Tom Sawyer *before reading Huckleberry Finn.

 

[Patty23]

One thing I was surprised was Plato kinda captured the Catholic fairytale for me whereas Aristotle was theodicy. Paradise lost, theory of reminisence is really close to our notion of original sin. I’ll take Aristotle any day as far as philosophy but I’m a human first and a philosophy major second so I’d rather read Plato now.