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what was aristotles contribution to psychology

by Modesto Powlowski Published 3 years ago Updated 2 years ago

Aristotle's contributions to psychology

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Aristotle is often regarded as the father of psychology, and his book, De Anima (On the Soul), the first book on psychology. He was concerned with the connection between the psychological processes and the underlying physiological phenomenon.10 Feb 2022

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What contributions did Aristotle make to psychology?

Aristotle, building upon the work of the earlier philosophers and their studies into mind, reasoning and thought, wrote the first known text in the history of psychology, called Para Psyche, 'About the Mind.

What is the major contribution of Aristotle?

He made pioneering contributions to all fields of philosophy and science, he invented the field of formal logic, and he identified the various scientific disciplines and explored their relationships to each other. Aristotle was also a teacher and founded his own school in Athens, known as the Lyceum.

How did Aristotle define psychology?

He takes psychology to be the branch of science which investigates the soul and its properties, but he thinks of the soul as a general principle of life, with the result that Aristotle's psychology studies all living beings, and not merely those he regards as having minds, human beings.11 Jan 2000

Why is Aristotle the father of psychology?

A few people might suggest that Freud is the father of psychology since he is perhaps one of its most "known" figures. Others might suggest that Aristotle is the true father of psychology since he is responsible for the theoretical and philosophical framework that contributed to psychology's earliest beginnings.16 Feb 2022

How did Aristotle contribute to mathematics?

In his attempt to work out theorems about ratios and infinite magnitudes, Aristotle makes important mathematical observations about infinite magnitudes and may have been the first to attempt them.

What are 3 accomplishments of Aristotle?

Aristotle | 10 Major Contributions And Accomplishments#1 Logic developed by Aristotle predominated in the West till mid-19th century.#2 He may be regarded as the founder of biology.#3 He laid the foundations of psychology.#4 His work in Metaphysics exerted an immense influence on the subject.More items...•2 Apr 2019

When did Aristotle do psychology?

Aristotle studied in Plato's Academy for 20 years, from its founding (c. 347 BCE) until Plato's death (c. 347 BCE).

What did the Greeks contribute to psychology?

Because Greek philosophers studied how human personality and character were expressed as either part of rational, deductive processes or as impaired irrational processes, it should not be surprising that Aristotle mixed psychology with a philosophy of the mind and thus his empirical approach was a forerunner of modern ...2 Mar 2013

What did Wundt contribution to psychology?

Wundt's contribution to Psychology: Wrote first textbook of psychology (Principles of Physiological Psychology, 1873-4) Set up first laboratory of experimental psychology (1879) Used the scientific method to study the structure of sensation and perception.22 Mar 2021

How did Wundt influence psychology?

His greatest contribution was to show that psychology could be a valid experimental science. Therefore, one way Wundt contributed to the development of psychology was to do his research in carefully controlled conditions, i.e. experimental methods.

What is Aristotle's approach to psychology?

On Aristotle’s approach, psychology studies the soul ( psuchê in Greek, or anima in Latin); so it naturally investigates all ensouled or animate beings.

Who wrote the psychology of Aristotle?

Brentano, Franz, 1977, The Psychology of Aristotle , ed. and trans. by Rolf George, Berkeley: University of California Press.

What is the purpose of Aristotle's De Anima?

So, in De Anima, he takes it as his task to provide an account of the life activities of plants and animals, along side those of humans ( De Anima ii 11, 423a20–6, cf. ii 1, 412a13; cf. De Generatione Animalium ii 3, 736b13; De Partibus Animalium iv 5, 681a12). In comparison with the modern discipline of Psychology, then, Aristotle’s psychology is broad in scope. He even devotes attention to the question of the nature of life itself, a subject which falls outside the purview of psychology in most contemporary contexts. On Aristotle’s approach, psychology studies the soul ( psuchê in Greek, or anima in Latin); so it naturally investigates all ensouled or animate beings.

Why does Aristotle not end his De Anima?

Instead, after discussing mind, he notes that all animals are capable of locomotion, only to deny that any one of the faculties of the soul so far considered (viz. nutrition, perception, or mind) can account for desire-initiated movement. Although he had initially identified only these three faculties of soul ( De Anima ii 2, 413b12), Aristotle now notes that something must explain the fact that animals engage in goal-directed behavior in order to achieve their conscious and unconscious goals. The wanted explanation cannot, he urges, be found somehow in the nutritive faculty, since plants, as living beings, have that power of soul, but do not move themselves around in pursuit of their goals; nor is it due to perception, since even some animals have this faculty without ever moving themselves at all, in any way (Aristotle evidently has in mind sponges, oysters, and certain testacea, Historia Animalium i 1, 487b6–9; viii 1 588b12; Partibus Animalium iv 5, 681b34, 683c8); nor again can it be a product of mind, since insofar as it is contemplative, mind does not focus upon objects likely to issue in directives for action, and insofar as it does commend action, mind is not of itself sufficient to engender motion, but instead relies upon appetite ( De Anima iii 9, 432b14–33a5). Indeed, using the same form of reasoning, that a faculty cannot account for purposive action if its activity is insufficient to initiate motion, Aristotle initially concludes that even desire itself ( orexis) cannot be responsible for action. After all, continent people, unlike those who are completely and virtuously moderate, have depraved desires but do not, precisely because they are continent, ever act upon them ( De Anima iii 9 433a6–8; cf. Nicomachean Ethics i 13, 1102b26). So their desires are insufficient for action. Consequently, he concludes, desire alone, considered as a single faculty, cannot explain purposive action, at least not completely.

What does Aristotle say about the soul?

He claims, for example, using vocabulary derived from his physical and metaphysical theories, that the soul is a “first actuality of a natural organic body” ( De Anima ii 1, 412b5–6), that it is a “substance as form of a natural body which has life in potentiality” ( De Anima ii 1, 412a20–1) and, similarly, that it “is a first actuality of a natural body which has life in potentiality” ( De Anima ii 1, 412a27–8), all claims which apply to plants, animals and humans alike.

Why does Aristotle think nutrition is the first faculty of the soul?

The first is straightforward: psychology considers all animate entities, and the nutritive soul belongs to all naturally living things, since it is “the first and most common capacity of soul, in virtue of which life belongs to all living things” ( De Anima ii 4, 415a24–25). The second is slightly more complex, being at root teleological. Given that the higher forms of soul presuppose nutrition, its explication is prior to them in the order of Aristotle’s exposition.

What is Aristotle's most famous work?

Aristotle investigates psychological phenomena primarily in De Anima and a loosely related collection of short works called the Parva Naturalia, whose most noteworthy pieces are De Sensu and De Memoria.

What was Aristotle's study of psychology?

Aristotle's psychology included a study into the formation of the human mind, as one of the first salvos in the debate between nature and nurture that influences many academic disciplines, including psychology, sociology, education, politics and human geography. Aristotle, unlike Plato, was a believer in nurture, ...

What was Aristotle's philosophy?

Aristotle's psychology, as would be expected, was intertwined with his philosophy of the mind, reasoning and Nicomachean ethics, but the psychological method started with his brilliant mind and empirical approach.

What did Aristotle believe about impulses?

Aristotle's Psychology of Impulses and Urges. Continuing this line of thought, Aristotle attempted to address the relationships between impulses and urges within the human mind, many years before Freud resurrected many of the basic tenets of Aristotle's psychology with his psychoanalysis theory. Aristotle believed that, alongside ...

Why is the history of psychology so hard to pinpoint?

The History of Psychology. The beginning of the history of psychology is hard to pinpoint, mainly because it is difficult to establish exactly what psychology is. This article is a part of the guide:

What did Aristotle propose?

Aristotle's psychology proposed that allowing desire to dominate reason would lead to an unhealthy imbalance and the tendency to perform bad actions. Here, Aristotle's thought created a paradigm that remained unchallenged for centuries and one that still underpins the work of modern psychology and philosophy, where desire is renamed as emotion and reason as rationality.

What is the first known text in the history of psychology?

Aristotle's Psychology - Para Psyche. Aristotle, building upon the work of the earlier philosophers and their studies into mind, reasoning and thought, wrote the first known text in the history of psychology, called Para Psyche, 'About the Mind.'.

Which psychologist proposed that the mind was the first entelechy?

In Para Psyche, Aristotle 's psychology proposed that the mind was the 'first entelechy,' or primary reason for the existence and functioning of the body.

What was Aristotle's contribution to psychology?

His most general contribution was to locate the intellectual and motive features of mind in the natural sciences, while reserving the moral and political dimensions of human life to a much enlarged conception of nature itself. At the level of basic processes his psychology was biological and ethological, grounded in considerations not unlike those that Charles Darwin would develop centuries later. If his own version of empiricism did not go so far as to submit scientific truths merely to confirmation by the senses, it did establish the validity and importance of the world of sense. In the process, he presented the senses themselves as objects of study. He also proposed the first laws of learning, loosely drawn around the principle of association and fortified by principles of reinforcement. Except for his retreat toward a somewhat fatalistic hereditarianism in the Politics, he consistently emphasized the part played by early experience, education, practice, Habit, and life within the polis itself in the formation of the psychological dispositions. In this way, he presented human psychology as a developmental subject whose parent science was at once civics and moral philosophy.

What is Aristotle's theory of psychic functions?

Aristotle’s theory of psychic functions covers the range from nutritive and reproductive processes to abstract rationality. The various powers (dunameis) or faculties of the soul differ in different species. The dividing line between the animal kingdom and all else is marked off by the power of sensation, this function being, says Aristotle, part of the very definition of “animal.” Indeed, Aristotle subsumes a number of psychological functions, some quite complex, under perception. As a result, although he reserves abstract rationality to adult human beings, he grants nonhuman animals wide-ranging cognitive, emotive, and motivational states and dispositions.

How does Aristotle explain the mind?

After rejecting the Platonic theory of natively possessed “true forms” in Book 2 of On the Soul, Aristotle considers how the mind comes to comprehend universal propositions that could not be given in experience. His solution calls for a distinction between the actual and the potential: mind has the potential for such comprehension, but for this to be actualized, it must be acted upon by the world. What the mind thinks must be in the mind, he says, as characters can come to be on a wax tablet on which as yet nothing has been etched. As a composite of complex processes, mental life must be supplied with information, else there would be nothing for the perceptual-cognitive processes to work on. Thus, the external world must cause physical responses in the sensory organs, these responses coming to depict or represent or stand as codes for the objects that cause them. Sensations set up certain motions within the soul. These subside in time but, if they have been produced often enough, they can be recreated, or at least a likeness of them can be re-created under comparable conditions. Through repetition (by custom or habit), certain movements reliably follow or precede others. Attempts to recall past events are only attempts to initiate the right internal events. This is why, when attempting to recall a sequence of events or objects, one must find the beginning of the appropriate series. When successful, an entire train of previously established associations is set in motion.

How long did Aristotle study?

Aristotle studied in Plato’s Academy for 20 years, from its founding (c. 347 BCE) until Plato’s death (c. 347 BCE). His father was personal physician to the Macedonian king Amyntas II, father of Philip II and grandfather of Alexander the Great, whose teacher Aristotle became.

Did Aristotle have a philosophy?

Though a devoted admirer and friend of his great teacher, Aristotle departed from Platonic philosophy in the range and details of his inquiries and in the mode of inquiry. His classical formulation of psychic processes in On the Soul has often been relied on to the neglect of his other works. However, any attempt to comprehend his remarkably complete and systematic psychology requires a generous sampling from many of his treatises, including those devoted to logic, ethics, politics, and metaphysics.

What is the philosophy of Aristotle?

According to Aristotle psychology is the branch of science which investigates the soul and its properties . Aristotle thinks of the soul as a general principle of life. In view of this Aristotle's psychology studies all living beings, and not merely those he regards as having minds, human beings. So, in De Anima, he takes it as his task to provide an account of the life activities of plants and animals, alongside those of humans. This conception by Aristotle as substantiated by his subject matter which claims that Aristotle’s psychology is concerned with giving an account of all those activities which are characteristics of living things, puts his theory in sharp contrast to the dualistic conception of the soul by Plato and modern psychology which focuses on conscious and intentional state. Plato, unlike Aristotle had conjectured that man is a composite of soul which is non-physical and a body which is physical. Plato’s psychology has it that the soul pre-existed the body and it continuous to exist at the demise of the body and that the soul has independent existence of the body. Aristotle, bearing the weaknesses of Plato’s psychology in mind, decides to put in his say on psychology. To this end, this essay seeks to examine critically Aristotle’s contribution to psychology. In this attempt, the essay will examine Aristotle’s soul and body relationship, his treatment of the soul from natural science and the fact the soul does not survive the demise of the body.

How does Aristotle treat the soul?

In addition, Aristotle does not treat the soul from religious or ethical point of view but from the point of view of the naturalist. He makes no attempt to lay down dogmatic general rules about sensation in animals. He recognizes that different animals have different faculties of senses. Aristotle insists that because various psychological states, including anger, joy, courage, pity, loving, and hating also involve the body in obvious ways the study of soul "is already in the province of the natural scientist. Thus, from the above, Aristotle seeks to do three things: firstly, to do away with religious view in the treatment of the soul. Secondly, to argue that animals also have a soul and lastly to use natural science to defend the argument on the soul. To begin with my examination, Aristotle’s attempt to ignore the concerns of religious views in the treatment of the soul makes his theory fly in the face of religion which has become a vital part of humanity. Secondly, to say that animals have soul is contradictory to our common sense notion. Thirdly, Aristotle is inconsistent with the natural science method which he uses to defend the soul. It appears the Aristotle is confused himself. This is because, he insists that the mind or intellect may not be enmeshed in the body in the same way as these sorts of states, and so denies that the study of soul falls in its entirety to the natural scientist. This is presumably why in the opening chapter of De Anima ,Aristotle reports a deep and authentic perplexity about the best method for investigating psychological matters. If different sciences employ different methods and the study of soul is bifurcated so that it belongs to no one science, there will indeed be a genuine difficulty about how best to proceed in any inquiry concerning it.

What are the foundations of psychology?

...The foundations of psychology has been a mystery to many for quite some time. Psychology is the scientific study of mental and behavioral processes. Since ancient times, humans began trying to make sense of the mental process. The roots are traced far back in history to ancient philosophers. There was no hard evidence of how the mind works until early philosophers began scientific studys of the human mind and recorded their findings. In this paper you will read about early philosophers that related to the beginnings of psychology as a formal discipline. I will also identify some major philosophers in the western tradition who were primary contributors to the formation of psychology as a discipline. I will also be exploring the development of the science of psychology during the 19th century. Ancient philosophers is the where history bagan in the field of psychology. Although these philosophers all had an intrerst with how the human mind and body works, they all had different interests, studies and experiments. They may have shared similar standpoints but some had different views. Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle were three Greek ancient philosophers who had a major influence on psychological thought. “Know thyself” one of Socrates’ most famous quotes. This quote was used to emphasize how important it is to be aware of one’s self. Personal reflection and self- examination are key factors in psychology. Plato was one of Socrates’ most prized students. He......

What is the study of psychology?

One definition of Psychology is the study of mental and behavioral process in a scientific way. This study of psychology can be traced back to when philosophy was just the main school of thought. Within that time frame the human behavior was interpreted but never truly acknowledged until scientific experiments came into play. Several important and significant figures are responsible for the first history of the study of psychology and how psychology was first developed in the nineteenth century. Three philosophers who were the first to question about the mind and mental processes was during the fifth centuries and they were known as Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle. These three philopshers were questioned by Hippocrates about the questions of how the nature of mind and mental processes really affects humans. Three Greek Philosophers, Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle, were the first to question the nature of the mind and mental processes during the fourth and fifth centuries B.C. This process is known as Psychology. These three philosophers questioned Aristotle, during the fourth and fifth centuries B.C. Hippocrates was a Greek physician that was also called the father of medicine. Hippocrates was very interested in the study of the living......

Who is the father of philosophy?

...Pre-Socratic Period Thales of Miletus Background: Thales of Miletus (fl. c. 585 BC) is regarded as the father of philosophy. Thales of Miletus was considered one of the Seven Wise Men of ancient Greece. Thales was the first of the Greek natural philosophers and founder of the Ionian school of ancient Greek thinkers. Works/Writings/Philosophy:  His is said to have measured the Egyptian pyramids and to have calculated the distance from shore of ships at sea using his knowledge of geometry.  He also predicted an eclipse of the sun. In geometry Thales has been credited with the discovery of five theorems like the one that a triangle inscribed in a semicircle has a right angle. He tried to discover the substance from which everything in nature is made off and suggested water.  Thales is important in bridging the worlds of myth and reason. He initiated the revolutionary notion that to understand the world one needed to know its nature and that there was an explanation for all phenomena in natural terms. That was a giant step from the assumptions of the old world that supernatural forces determined almost everything.  While considering the effects of magnetism and static electricity, he concluded that the power to move other things without the mover itself changing was a characteristic of "life", so that a magnet and amber must therefore be alive in some way (in that they have animation or the power to act). If so, he argued, there is no difference between the living and the......

What are the disciplines that contribute to organizational behavior?

1220759 Class: Ist MBA – V Date : 9th July, 2012 Abstract: This study covers different disciplines that affect the discipline of organizational behavior. Disciplines like psychology, sociology, anthropology, etc are self acclaimed disciplines that contribute to the study of organizational behavior and they determine how an individual would behave in a scenario. It also includes mention of a case study to determine corporate psychological defenses, which explains how organizations try to avoid charges even if it’s their fault. This term paper discusses how different attributes of organizational behavior are affected by disciplines of different nature. Key words: Interdisciplinary, Organizational Behavior, Psychology, Sociology, Social Psychology, Anthropology, Management, Political Science, Medicine. 1 fIntroduction: 1. Meaning & Definitions: Organizational Behavior is a systematic study of the actions and attitudes that people exhibit within organizations, according to P G Aquinas (2006). This study is basically concerned with the psychosocial, interpersonal, and behavioral dynamics in organizations. The term ‘Organizational behavior’ is defined by Stephen P Robbins as “a field of study that investigates the impact of individuals, groups and structures on behavior within organizations for the purpose of applying such knowledge towards improving on Organization’s...

What is Aristotle's philosophy of wisdom?

Aristotle believed that practical wisdom is the main virtue of human beings and that it allows you to make better decisions.

What does Aristotle say about self-regulation?

Nevertheless, Aristotle states that, through self-control and self-regulation, it’s possible to acquire these strengths, even if it requires some conscious effort.

What are some examples of positive psychology?

American psychologist and writer Seligman and his colleagues wrote the article “Positive psychology progress: empirical validation of interventions”, in which they discuss how “practical wisdom” can improve well-being. Carnier and Gomez also described these actions in their article “Contributions from positive psychology”. Some examples are: 1 Writing down three things you’re thankful for once a day. 2 Also, writing a thank you card to someone who’s important to you. You can send it or give it to its intended recipient or simply keep it for yourself.

Who wrote the article Positive Psychology Progress?

American psychologist and writer Seligman and his colleagues wrote the article “Positive psychology progress: empirical validation of interventions”, in which they discuss how “practical wisdom” can improve well-being. Carnier and Gomez also described these actions in their article “Contributions from positive psychology”. Some examples are:

Can positive psychology cover up problems?

However, it’s also vital to point out one thing. Positive psychology shouldn’t cover up or mask problems. In other words, you shouldn’t pretend that everything is fantastic and wonderful. You can use positive psychology to your advantage, as long as you avoid the lies that cloud this field.

Who believed virtue has to be learned through experience?

These types of actions can bring you closer to the “wisdom” that Aristotle mentions. He believed virtue has to be learned through experience, which psychologists Schwartz and Sharpe also supported.

Is positive psychology a modern philosophy?

Although positive psychology now has a place on modern-day bookshelves, the truth is that its basic principles are far from “modern”. Aristotle first spoke about positivity in his works centuries ago. This article will explain the influence of this important philosopher in positive psychology. Also, it’ll touch on how he interpreted this concept and how it evolved into the concept we know today.

What is Aristotle's treatment of thought?

Aristotle’s treatment of thought resembles, in certain large-scale features, his treat-ment of perception. Just as he distinguished a basic form of perception, which wecalled “sensation,” from other forms of perception, he also singles out a basic form ofthinking from more complex ones that include propositional thought and reasoning.This basic form of thinking or nous is perhaps best thought of as “understanding.” Itsobject is always a nature or essence,54 about which one cannot be in error: either onegrasps it or one doesn’t.55 Its infallibility, like the infallibility of sensation, can be tracedto the simple causal model that underlies both accounts. Understanding is about theobject that brings it about, which causes the understanding to become like it in form,without becoming the object itself (De An. III.4, 429a13–18; Met. L.7, 1072a30).For humans, each act of understanding is grounded in phantasia and so ultimatelyperception. Without any sensory experience, humans could not learn or grasp any-thing (De An. III.8, 432a3–8). But we also retain the contents of such experiences inmemory, which allows us to have the objects of understanding available within us andso think whenever we want (II.5, 417b19–26; III.4, 429b5–9). The objects of under-standing are said to be “in” phantasmata. Hence, their contents in some sense dependon quasi-perceptual content (see p. 332 above) which therefore constrain what weare capable of understanding.56 But even if concepts are not without phantasmata, theyare not reducible to phantasmata either (III.8, 432a12–13), since understanding is “ofthe universal” (II.5, 417b22–23). This difference is plainly due to the interaction ofphantasmata and the understanding, but on this crucial question Aristotle says verylittle. According to one common interpretation, it consists in the literal “abstraction”

What is Aristotle's philosophy?

Aristotle’s psychology – what he calls the “study of the soul” (hE tEs psuchEs historia)– occupies a prominent place both in his own philosophy and in the Western philo-sophical tradition as a whole. In his own system, psychology is the culmination ofmetaphysics and natural science. For Aristotle, living things are the paradigm ofnatural objects and substances in general, and so offer the best case for the applicationof his theories. Psychology also serves as a foundation for the rest of his philosophy, inso far as it provides a framework for understanding thought, speech, and action, andto various extents his logic, rhetoric, politics, and ethics all draw on these views. Itsinfluence on subsequent philosophers has also been great. During the Roman empire,later Platonists appropriated many of his doctrines, especially those concerned withcognition. In medieval scholasticism, they become part of a common legacy, sharedwidely by philosophers who differ in many other respects. They thus belong to thebackdrop against which early modern philosophers attempted to distinguish themselves,a point of reference and a point of departure to which some twentieth century philo-sophers sought to return, in their efforts to shake free of Descartes’ grip. Many stillregard Aristotle’s theory as offering an attractive middle course, which avoids theextremes of both extravagant dualism and crude materialism. With so much at stake,it is not surprising that there has been heated controversy about Aristotle’s psycho-logy in recent years, as regards both its precise nature and its viability.

What is the main concern of Aristotle's De Anima?

One of the chief concerns of Aristotle’s treatise De Anima is the relation of the soul tothe body.4 Aristotle wants to account for the way in which they can be said to be“one,” as well as the way in which they differ; and he repeatedly returns to the ques-tion of whether there is any sense in which the soul can be said to be “separable”(chOristos). His own solution appeals to the central concepts of his metaphysics. Heregards the body as the matter and the soul as the form of a living thing (De An. II.1,

What did Aristotle use to study nature?

But unlike Plato and Socrates, Aristotle displayed an instinct to use scientific and factual reasoning in his study of nature, a trait his predecessors routinely discarded in favor of their philosophical thoughts.

Who is Aristotle in Greek?

Born in 384 BC in Stagira, a small town on the northern coast of Greece, Aristotle is arguably one of the most well-known figures in the history of ancient Greece. He was a popular pupil of famous ancient Greek philosopher Plato. But unlike Plato and Socrates, Aristotle displayed an instinct to use scientific and factual reasoning in his study ...

How long has Aristotle been alive?

It has been more than 2,300 years since the last day of the Aristotelian era in ancient Greece yet the research and work of Aristotle remain as influential today as it ever was. From fields that lean towards structurally scientific orientation such as physics and biology, to the very minute details about the nature of knowledge, reality, and existence, his multitudinous all-round contributions truly make him one of the most influential people in human history.

What is a syllogism?

Syllogism is a certain form of reasoning where a conclusion is made based on two premises. These premises always have a common or middle term to associate them, but this binding term is absent in the conclusion. This process of logical deduction was invented by Aristotle, and perhaps lies at the heart of all his famous achievements. He was the first person to come up with an authentic and logical procedure to conclude a statement based on the propositions that were at hand. These propositions or premises were either provided as facts or simply taken as assumptions. For instance: Socrates is a man. All men are mortal. These two premises can be concluded as “Socrates is mortal.”

What did Aristotle believe about motion?

Similarly, Aristotle believed that any kind of change meant something was in motion. In a rather self-contradicting way (at least the initial interpreters found it to be so), he defined the motion of anything as the actuality of a potentiality. In its entirety, Aristotle understood physics as a part of theoretical science that was in sync with natural philosophy. Perhaps a more synonymous term to attach to Aristotle’s interpretation would be “physis” or simply the study of nature.

What did Aristotle mean by the genus of a living being?

Aristotle meant the genus of a living being to represent its collective family/group as a whole.

When did Aristotle write his poetry?

Many of the records of Aristotle’s views on art and poetry, much like many other documents of his philosophical and literary works, were composed around 330 BC. Most of these exist and survive to this day because they were duly noted down and preserved by his pupils during his lectures.

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Life and work

  • Aristotle (384322 BC) was born in Macedon, in what is now northern Greece, but spent most of his adult life in Athens. His life in Athens divides into two periods, first as a member of Platos Academy (367347) and later as director of his own school, the Lyceum (334323). The intervening years were spent mainly in Assos and Lesbos, and briefly back in Macedon. His years away fro…
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Introduction

  • Because of the long tradition of exposition which has developed around Aristotles De Anima, the interpretation of even its most central theses is sometimes disputed. Moreover, because of its evident affinities with some prominent approaches in contemporary philosophy of mind, Aristotles psychology has received renewed interest and has incited intense interpretative dispu…
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Scope

  • In both De Anima and the Parva Naturalia, Aristotle assumes something which may strike some of his modern readers as odd. He takes psychology to be the branch of science which investigates the soul and its properties, but he thinks of the soul as a general principle of life, with the result that Aristotles psychology studies all living beings, and ...
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Example

  • One way of appreciating this is to consider a second general moral Aristotle derives from hylomorphism. This concerns the question of the separability of the soul from the body, a possibility embraced by substance dualists from the time of Plato onward. Aristotles hylomorphism commends the following attitude: if we do not think that the Hermes-shape persi…
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Philosophy

  • Although willing to provide a common account of the soul in these general terms, Aristotle devotes most of his energy in De Anima to detailed investigations of the souls individual capacities or faculties, which he first lists as nutrition, perception, and mind, with perception receiving the lions share of attention. He later also introduces desire, evidently as a discrete fac…
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Significance

  • The significance of this observation resides in the thought that any adequate account of nutrition will make ineliminable reference to life as such. This in turn entails that it will not be possible to define life as the capacity for taking on nutrition. For then we would have a vicious circularity: a living system is the sort of thing which can take on nutrition, while nutrition is whatever stuff is s…
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Effects

  • This hylomorphic restriction on the suitability of subjects of change has the effect of limiting cases of actual perception to those instances of form-reception which involve living beings endowed with the appropriate faculties. It does not, however, explain just what those faculties are, nor even how they are made like their objects of perception. Minimally, though, Aristotle claims t…
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Analysis

  • His primary investigation of mind occurs in two chapters of De Anima, both of which are richly suggestive, but neither of which admits of easy or uncontroversial exposition. In De Anima iii 4 and 5, Aristotle approaches the nature of thinking by once again deploying a hylomorphic analysis, given in terms of form reception. Just as perception involves the reception of a sensible form b…
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Components

  • This approach to the nature of thinking has some promising features. Both in its own terms and in virtue of its fitting into a broader pattern of explanation, Aristotles hylomorphic analysis merits serious consideration. At the same time, one of its virtues may appear also as a vice. We noted in discussing Aristotles hylomorphic analysis of change generally that his account requires the exi…
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Definition

  • This second type of change, which Aristotle maintains is the appropriate model for many psychic activities, is either not an instance of alteration or is a different kind of alteration, where one should not speak of being affected, unless <one allows that> there are two kinds of alteration (De Anima ii 5, 417b616). Perhaps Aristotles position will then be that the mind, at least insofar as it…
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Function

  • In both perception and thinking, animal souls are in some ways active and in some ways passive. Although both mind and the sensory faculty receive their correlative forms when perceiving or thinking, neither is wholly passive in its defining activity. Perception involves discrimination, while thinking involves selective attending and abstraction, both activities, in the sense that each requi…
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Criticism

  • Aristotle displays some hesitation in his discussion of desire and its relation to practical reason in the aetiology of animal action. Some have consequently concluded that his treatment can be regarded as at best inchoate or, worse, as positively befuddled. There seem to be no grounds for any such harsh assessment, however. Equally likely is that Aristotle is simply sensitive to the co…
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Aristotle's Psychology and The Influence of Plato

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To give Aristotle (384 BC - 322 BC) complete credit for being the first thinker to develop a theory of proto-psychology is unfair to some of the other philosophers from Greece and beyond. However, whilst there is little doubt that the Babylonians and Buddhists, amongst others, developed concepts involving the mind, thought a…
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Aristotle's Psychology - para Psyche

  • Aristotle, building upon the work of the earlier philosophers and their studies into mind, reasoning and thought, wrote the first known text in the history of psychology, called Para Psyche, 'About the Mind.' In this landmark work, he laid out the first tenets of the study of reasoning that would determine the direction of the history of psychology; many of his proposals continue to influenc…
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Aristotle's Psychology of Impulses and Urges

  • Continuing this line of thought, Aristotle attempted to address the relationships between impulses and urges within the human mind, many years before Freud resurrected many of the basic tenets of Aristotle's psychology with his psychoanalysis theory. Aristotle believed that, alongside the 'Libido,' were 'Id' and 'Ego,' the idea of desire and reason...
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The History of Psychology and Ancient Greek Medicine

  • Plato and Aristotle adopted a philosophical and abstract approach to defining human behavior and the structure of the mind, but that was not the only contribution of the Hellenistic philosophers. The development of Ancient Greek medicine introduced the study of physiology into the history of psychology, proposing that there were physical reasons underlying many mental ai…
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The History of Psychology - Galen and The Four Humours

  • Following on from Hippocrates was the physician, Galen, who provided the link between the Greeks and Islamic psychology. Of Greek extraction, this brilliant physician and researcher earned the respect of successive Roman emperors for his skill and ability, and he went on to produce volumes of work covering many aspects of the human condition, from psychology to eye surger…
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The Coming of The Islamic Golden Age and The Growth of Psychology

  • There is little doubt that the Ancient Greeks laid out the course of modern psychology, although due respect has to be given to the Chinese, Indian and Persian scholars who made contributions outside the scope of this history of psychology, but which influenced modern thought in many disparate ways. The Islamic expansion saw a culmination of this process and an integration of …
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Who Was Aristotle?

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Before talking about the Aristotle's contributions to psychology, let's start by remembering who he was. Born in an ancient town in Macedonia, a city located in Greece, his parents died when he was in his teens, later being left in the care of a possible brother of his mother who took him to study in Athens, which at that tim…
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What Is Positive Psychology?

  • Positive psychology is a study that focuses on projecting positivism in people's lives so that this influences the development and growth in all aspects of human life, all this is through the recognition of values ​​and vigor in the life. The main objective of this method is to promote joy in people's lives, all this would be achieved by different techniques since happiness is a relative ter…
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Aristotle's Contributions to Psychology

  • Although it is true that positivism in thought and ideas has gained recognition in recent times, the truth is that it is a subject that has been discussed for centuries, one of the main authors of which there is a precedent is Aristotle, who In addition to the many writings he did in his life, among them were some that talked about ethics, morals a...
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