History Creator / Aristotle

* DemocracyIsBad: Just like his teacher, he used "democracy" as a term of art for what happens when a popular government goes bad.[[note]]A good popular government was called a ''politeia'', usually translated into "republic" in English simply for lack of a better word. For all practical purposes, it essentially just means "good democracy."[[/note]] He maintained, however, that a government where the multitude have power is just as valid as one where a select few or a single person has power, as long as it is done correctly. His ideal government combines traits of all three--meaning he was actually ''in favor'' of what we in modern times commonly refer to a "representative democracy".

* DemocracyIsBad: Just like his teacher, he used "democracy" as a term of art for what happens when a popular government goes bad.[[note]]A good popular government was called a ''politeia'', usually translated into "republic" in English simply for lack of a better word. For all practical purposes, it essentially just means "good democracy."[[/note]] He maintained, however, that a government where the multitude have power is just as valid as one where a select few or a single person has power, as long as it is done correctly. His ideal government combines traits of all three.

* ''Literature/{{Politics}}''

* MentorArchetype: He was the tutor and teacher to UsefulNotes/AlexanderTheGreat even into the conqueror's campaign years. Whenever Alexander would find something interesting on campaign, he'd send it back to have Aristotle study and then tell him about it.

Of particular note to tropers is that he wrote the ''Poetics'', studying [[{{Tragedy}} tragic plays]], making him the first troper of whom we have knowledge, and many tropes were first diagnosed by him.

He also served as [[PrivateTutor tutor]] to UsefulNotes/AlexanderTheGreat, after differences with Plato and his Academy led him to leave Athens. His work also heavily influenced Galileo--even though Galileo's most enduring work in physics disproved Aristotle's theories in the subject, and his work in astronomy severely undermined them in that field, Galileo always made sure to emphasize his respect for the ancient genius.

He also served as [[PrivateTutor tutor]] to UsefulNotes/AlexanderTheGreat, after differences with Plato and his Academy led him to leave Athens. His work also heavily influenced Galileo.

Aristotle (Ἀριστοτέλης, 384–322 BC) was a Greek philosopher, a student of Creator/{{Plato}}'s, and the second Greek philosopher from whom we have complete works. He was the first philosopher to write treatises addressing the subjects of his philosophy directly; Plato had been rather more indirect, preferring to write dialogues involving Creator/{{Socrates}} instead. Aristotle was also the first philosopher to attempt a complete survey of human knowledge (except for mathematics), making him an OmnidisciplinaryScientist.

* DemocracyIsBad: Just like his teacher, he used "democracy" as a term of art for what happens when a popular government goes bad.[[note]]A good popular government was called a ''politea''.[[/note]] He maintained, however, that a government where the multitude have power is just as valid as one where a select few or a single person has power, as long as it is done correctly. His ideal government combines traits of all three.

* GoldenMeanFallacy: Later Aristoteleans originated this fallacy through incomplete or overly simplistic readings of his definition of virtue as a mean between excess and deficit. Aristotle himself explicitly [[DefiedTrope defied]] this in his ''Nichomachean Ethics'': he admonishes that virtue is proportionate to the context, not a midpoint between two arbitrary extremes. Additionally, some vices (such as envy, murder, and adultery) don't have counterparts for which a mean can be judged, and therefore are always bad.

* PlatoIsAMoron: Done in a downplayed, roundabout way in ''Nichomachean Ethics'' when he explains that he will not use his teacher's Theory of Forms because his own philosophy is more practical. Aristotle's scientific works also fell victim to this during the Renaissance, with a new generation of scientists dethroning him from his dominant role in the Western intellectual tradition.

* TakeAThirdOption: In his ''Rhetoric'': his teacher Plato despised sophistry, considering it a distortion of truth; the Sophists disdained philosophy because they thought it was meaningless navel-gazing. Aristotle considered philosophy and rhetoric parts of the same whole and synthesized them. He still has some pretty harsh words for the Sophists, though.

* HeManWomanHater: He has this reputation thanks in part to ValuesDissonance. He did consider women to be naturally inferior to men and believed that they should be ruled over as only slightly better than slaves and children. However, in his ''Rhetoric'' and ''Oikonomios'', he advocates treating women kindly and valuing their happiness. Ultimately, his attitude towards women is more [[CondescendingCompassion patronizing than anything else.]]

->''A likely impossibility is always preferable to an unconvincing possibility. The story should never be made up of improbable incidents; there should be nothing of the sort in it.''

->''A likely impossibility is always preferable to [[ContrivedCoincidence an unconvincing possibility]]. The story should never be made up of improbable incidents; there should be nothing of the sort in it.''

Aristotle is also important within science. His work of categorizing plants laid much of the foundation for today's biology. He also tried himself at physics, and his theories were commonly accepted for almost two thousand years - until people started to actually test them, and found many of them to be completely wrong. For example, Aristotle used logic to determine that if two objects with similar form and volume but different mass are dropped simultaneously, the heaviest one will land first. Medieval natural philosophers started to realize that this was wrong, and later disproved it by actually dropping two objects with said qualities, and finding that they landed at the same time.

* The lost second part of his ''Literature/Poetics'', addressing the nature of [[Comedy}}, features prominently in ''Literature/TheNameOfTheRose'', [[spoiler:as the {{MacGuffin}} whose existence the murderer has been trying to hide.]]

Aristotle was a Greek philosopher, a student of Creator/{{Plato}}'s, and the second Greek philosopher from whom we have complete works. He was the first philosopher to write treatises addressing the subjects of his philosophy directly; Plato had been rather more indirect, preferring to write dialogues involving Creator/{{Socrates}} instead. Aristotle was also the first philosopher to attempt a complete survey of human knowledge (except for mathematics), making him an OmnidisciplinaryScientist.

* GoldenMeanFallacy: Later Aristoteleans originated this fallacy through incomplete or overly simplistic readings of definition of virtue as a mean between excess and deficit. Aristotle himself explicitly [[DefiedTrope defied]] this in his ''Nichomachean Ethics'': he admonishes that virtue is proportionate to the context, not a midpoint between two arbitrary extremes. Additionally, some vices (such as envy, murder, and adultery) don't have counterparts for which a mean can be judged, and therefore are always bad.

* GoldenMeanFallacy: Later Aristoteleans originated this fallacy through incomplete or overly simplistic readings of definition of virtue a a mean between excess and deficit. Aristotle himself explicitly [[DefiedTrope defied]] this in his ''Nichomachean Ethics'': he admonishes that virtue is proportionate to the context, not a midpoint between two arbitrary extremes. Additionally, some vices (such as envy, murder, and adultery) don't have counterparts for which a mean can be judged, and therefore are always bad.

* GoldenMeanFallacy: Later Aristoteleans originated this fallacy through incomplete or overly simplistic readings of his works. Aristotle himself explicitly [[DefiedTrope defied]] this in his ''Nichomachean Ethics'': he admonishes that virtue is proportionate to the context, not a midpoint between two arbitrary extremes. Additionally, some vices (such as envy, murder, and adultery) don't have counterparts for which a mean can be judged, and therefore are always bad.

* ForHappiness: According to ''Ethics,'' this is the end for which justice and virtue are the means.
* GoodFeelsGood: He takes this position in his ''Ethics'': virtue and happiness are inseparable, and the greatest happiness is in the greatest virtue.

* IJustWantToHaveFriends: In his ''Ethics'', he discusses this, suggesting that it is impossible to live a fully happy and virtuous life without having close friends.

* PlatoIsAMoron: Done in a downplayed, roundabout way in ''Ethics'' when he explains that he will not use his teacher's Theory of Forms because his own philosophy is more practical. Aristotle's scientific works also fell victim to this during the Renaissance, with a new generation of scientists dethroning him from his dominant role in the Western intellectual tradition.

* DemocracyIsBad: Just like his teacher, he used "democracy" as a term of art for what happens when a popular government goes bad.[note]A good popular government was called a ''politea''.[[/note]] He maintained, however, that a government where the multitude have power is just as valid as one where a select few or a single person has power, as long as it is done correctly. His ideal government combines traits of all three.

* HeManWomanHater: He has this reputation thanks in part to ValuesDissonance. He did consider women to be naturally inferior to men and believed that they should be ruled over as only slightly better than slaves and children. However, in his ''Rhetoric'' and ''Oikonomios'', he advocates treating women kindly and valuing their happiness. Ultimately, his attitude towards women is more [[CondecendingCompassion patronizing than anything else.]]

* HeManWomenHater: He has this reputation thanks in part to ValuesDissonance. He did consider women to be naturally inferior to men and believed that they should be ruled over as only slightly better than slaves and children. However, in his ''Rhetoric'' and ''Oikonomios'', he advocates treating women kindly and valuing their happiness. Ultimately, his attitude towards women is more [[CondecendingCompassion patronizing than anything else.]]

* DemocracyIsBad: Just like his teacher, he used "democracy" as a term of art for what happens when a popular government goes bad. He maintained, however, that the ideal government will mix the attributes of democracy (rule by many), aristocracy (rule by few), and monarchy (rule by one).
* GoodFeelsGood: According to Aristotle, virtue and happiness are inseparable, and the greatest happiness is in the greatest virtue.

%% * IJustWantToHaveFriends