Who was Aristotle? | Universe Today

Matt Williams, Curator of Universe Today's Guide to Space writes, Philosopher, polymath, educator, synthesist, founder. These are just some of the words used to describe Aristotle, the 4th century BCE Greek luminary who (along with Plato) is known as the “father of Western philosophy.” 

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With subjects ranging from physics, biology, and astronomy to logic, ethics, politics, and metaphysics, there is scarcely any field of study or subject that he did not have a significant and lasting impact on.

In fact, within the realm of astronomy and physics, Artistotle would be one of the leading authorities whose work would be considered canon for over two thousand years after his death. From Classical Antiquity to the Roman Empire to the Middle Ages and the Rennaissance, Aristotle would be considered the authoritative source on countless subjects.

In some respects, Artistotle’s authority was a mixed blessing. As modern scholars have noted, many of the Greek polymath’s theories (particularly in the realm of astronomy) were incorrect. Ergo, accepting them as canon had a limiting effect on scholarship until the “Scientific Revolution” – where developments in the fields of mathematics, physics, astronomy, biology, and chemistry would cause many Aristotelian theories to be challenged...

The composition of objects is what imbued them with their natural motions. From this, Aristotle’s theories regarding astronomy and cosmology naturally emerged. In the cosmological model he espoused, the spherical Earth was at the center of the Universe and the Moon, the Sun, the then-known planets (Mercury, Venus, Mars, and Jupiter), and the “fixed stars” all revolving around it.

The outermost celestial sphere was particularly important, as it was here that Aristotle placed the “Prime Mover” of the Universe. This reflected Plato’s own model that was detailed in the Socratic dialog Timaeus, but with additions that were outlined in Metaphysics and On the Heavens (ca. 350 BC). Like Plato, Aristotle’s astronomical theories were not a predictive mathematical model, but an attempt to explain planetary motions.
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Source: Universe Today