Aristotle, one of the most influential philosophers and scientists in history, spent much of his life teaching, researching, and writing.
But where did he do all of this work? From Macedonia to Athens and beyond, Aristotle’s journey was full of twists and turns.
Join us as we explore the places where Aristotle made his mark and delve into the fascinating world of ancient Greek philosophy and science.
Where Did Aristotle Do His Work
Aristotle, born in Stagira in Northern Greece during the Classical period, began his intellectual journey at Plato’s Academy in Athens. He remained there until the age of thirty-seven, after which he left Athens and tutored Alexander the Great at the request of Philip II of Macedon.
After Alexander succeeded his father as king and conquered Athens, Aristotle returned to the city and founded his own school, the Lyceum. This is where he spent most of the remainder of his life working as a teacher, researcher, and writer.
The Lyceum was a place of great intellectual activity, with members researching subjects ranging from science and math to philosophy and politics. Aristotle himself made pioneering contributions to all fields of philosophy and science, inventing the field of formal logic and identifying the various scientific disciplines and exploring their relationships to each other.
The Lyceum also had a massive collection of written materials, which by ancient accounts was credited as one of the first great libraries. Aristotle established this library in the Lyceum, which helped him produce many of his hundreds of books on papyrus scrolls.
However, Aristotle’s time at the Lyceum was not without controversy. When Alexander the Great died suddenly in 323 B.C., the pro-Macedonian government was overthrown, and in light of anti-Macedonia sentiment, Aristotle was charged with impiety for his association with his former student and the Macedonian court. To avoid being prosecuted and executed, he left Athens and fled to Chalcis on the island of Euboea, where he would remain until his death a year later.
Early Life And Education In Macedonia
Aristotle was born in 384 BCE in the city of Stagira in Macedonia, a seaport on the Thracian coast. His father, Nichomacus, was the personal physician to King Amyntas of Macedonia. After his father’s death when Aristotle was still young, he came under the guardianship of Proxenus.
It is believed that Aristotle spent time with the tutors at the Macedonian court, as the son and nephew of palace staff, but this is not known with certainty. At the age of 17, Proxenus sent Aristotle to Athens to complete his education at Plato’s Academy.
At the Academy, Aristotle studied philosophy and logical thinking under Plato’s tutelage for nearly 20 years. He was an exceptional student, graduated early, and was awarded a position on the faculty teaching rhetoric and dialogue. However, despite his impressive reputation, Aristotle often disagreed with Plato’s ideas, leading to tension between them.
When a successor to Plato was selected after his death in 347 BCE, Aristotle was passed over in favor of Plato’s nephew Speusippus. This led Aristotle to leave Athens and conduct experiments and study on his own in the islands of the Greek Archipelago before eventually returning to Macedonia to tutor Alexander the Great.
Teaching And Research In Athens
During his time at Plato’s Academy in Athens, Aristotle was a student and later a teacher. He spent twenty years studying at the Academy and became known for his critical thinking and analytical abilities. After leaving the Academy, Aristotle continued his teaching and research in Athens at his own school, the Lyceum.
At the Lyceum, Aristotle taught a wide range of subjects to his students, including philosophy, science, mathematics, ethics, politics, and rhetoric. He was known for his engaging lectures and discussions that challenged his students to think critically and deeply about the world around them.
Aristotle’s teaching style was unique in that he emphasized the importance of observation and empirical evidence in understanding the natural world. He believed that knowledge could only be gained through careful observation and analysis of the natural world, rather than through abstract reasoning alone.
In addition to his teaching, Aristotle conducted extensive research at the Lyceum. He made pioneering contributions to all fields of philosophy and science, including inventing the field of formal logic and identifying the various scientific disciplines and exploring their relationships to each other.
Aristotle’s research at the Lyceum was also aided by the school’s impressive library. The Lyceum had one of the first great libraries in ancient Greece, with a vast collection of written materials on a wide range of subjects. This library helped Aristotle produce many of his hundreds of books on papyrus scrolls.
Despite his many contributions to teaching and research in Athens, Aristotle’s time at the Lyceum was not without controversy. He faced charges of impiety for his association with Alexander the Great and fled Athens to avoid prosecution. Nevertheless, Aristotle’s legacy as a teacher and researcher at the Lyceum continues to inspire scholars to this day.
The Lyceum: Aristotle’s School Of Philosophy
The Lyceum, located just outside the city boundary of Athens, was the site of Aristotle’s school of philosophy. This gymnasium was where Aristotle established his own school after returning to Athens in 335 B.C.
The Lyceum was not a private club like Plato’s Academy, and many of the lectures there were open to the general public and given free of charge. Aristotle built a substantial library at the Lyceum, which became the first European library in history. He gathered around him a group of brilliant research students, called “peripatetics” from the name of the cloister (peripatos) in which they walked and held their discussions.
Aristotle’s school was known for its organized scientific inquiry and was the first major center to put forward the modern scientific method. It was here that Aristotle developed and taught his own method of inductive and deductive reasoning, observing the workings of the world around him and then reasoning from the particular to a knowledge of essences and universal laws.
The Lyceum was also a place for physical activity, with remains of baths, a gymnasium, and a palaestrae where students would box, wrestle, and compete in the no holds barred pankration. Athleticism was highly valued by Aristotle and his students.
Despite its importance, the Lyceum was not without controversy. During Aristotle’s years at the Lyceum, his relationship with his former pupil Alexander apparently cooled. Alexander became more and more megalomaniacal, finally proclaiming himself divine and demanding that Greeks prostrate themselves before him in adoration. Opposition to this demand was led by Aristotle’s nephew Callisthenes who had been appointed historian of Alexander’s Asiatic expedition on Aristotle’s recommendation. For his heroism Callisthenes was falsely implicated in a plot and executed.
Traveling And Studying Abroad
Despite spending most of his life in Athens and Macedonia, Aristotle also traveled and studied abroad during his lifetime. After leaving Plato’s Academy in Athens, he spent several years in Assos, a small town in present-day Turkey, where he got married. He then spent a couple more years on the Greek island of Lésbos before returning to Macedonia at the request of King Philip II to tutor Alexander the Great.
After six years of tutoring Alexander, Aristotle returned to Athens and founded his own school, the Lyceum. However, Aristotle’s travels did not end there. He continued to travel extensively throughout Greece and Asia Minor, collecting data on political organization and history from 158 different cities. This research informed much of his writing on politics and ethics.
Despite his extensive travels and experiences, Aristotle remained primarily a scholar and philosopher. His writings on a wide range of subjects remained definitive for almost two millennia, and his contributions to formal logic and scientific disciplines such as biology and meteorology continue to influence modern thought.
Final Years In Euboea And Death
During Aristotle’s final years in Euboea, he continued his intellectual pursuits, though he was no longer teaching at the Lyceum. He spent his time writing and researching, producing some of his most notable works during this time, including his treatises on ethics and politics.
Despite being in exile, Aristotle continued to attract students and followers, and his influence on philosophy and science remained strong. He died in Euboea in 322 B.C. at the age of 62.
Aristotle’s legacy continued long after his death. His works were studied by medieval scholars such as Peter Abelard and John Buridan, and his influence on logic continued well into the 19th century. His ideas also had a significant impact on Christian theology and Islamic philosophy during the Middle Ages.
Today, Aristotle is still considered one of the greatest thinkers in human history, and his ideas continue to be studied and debated by philosophers, scientists, and scholars around the world.
