Aristotle Essays (378 words) - Philosophy, Natural Philosophy

Aristotle Aristotle Aristotle was a Greek philosopher, educator, and scientist. He was one of the greatest and most influential thinkers in Western culture. He familiarized himself with the entire development of Greek thought preceding him. In his own writings, Aristotle considered, summarized, criticized, and further developed all the intellectual tradition that he had inherited from his teacher, Plato. Aristotle was the first philosopher to analyze the process whereby certain propositions can be logically inferred to be true from the fact that certain other propositions are true. He believed that this processor logical inference was based on a form of argument he called the syllogism. In a syllogism, a proposition is argued or logically inferred to be true from the fact that two other propositions are true. Aristotle also believed in a Philosophy of nature. In this he believed the most striking aspect of nature was change. He even defined the philosophy of nature in his book Physics, as the study of things that change. Aristotle argued that to understand change, a distinction must be made between the form and matter of a thing. He is even the man given credit for the idea of matter and form. Aristotle's philosophy of nature includes psychology and biology. In On the Soul, he investigated the various function of the soul and the relationship between the soul and the body. Aristotle was the world's first great biologist. He gathered vast amounts of information about the variety, structure, and behavior of animals and plants. Aristotle died in 400 BC leaving many great works and ideas behind him. From about 500 AD to 1100 AD knowledge of Aristotle's philosophy was almost completely lost in the West. During this period, it was preserved by Arabic and Syrian scholars who reintroduced it to the Christian culture of Western Europe in the 1100's and 1200's. Aristotle enjoyed tremendous prestige during this time. To some of the leading Christian and Arabic scholars of the Middle Ages, Aristotle writings seemed to contain the sum total of human knowledge. Aristotle's authority has declined since the Middle Ages, but many philosophers of the modern period owe much to him. The extent of Aristotle's influence is difficult to judge, because many of his ideas have been absorbed into the language of science and philosophy. Biographies

Tess of the D essays

Tess of the D essays In the novel, Tess of the DUrbervilles, by Thomas Hardy fate plays an important role. Fate determines the lives of the characters involved, especially Tess Durbeyfield. Events throughout the book are predetermined and bound to happen. The fate of Tess is to live a sorrowful life to improve the lives of her family and especially her favorite sibling, Liza-Lu. The story begins with Tess running through the town with a group of girls all dressed up in white smocks. They make it to a green, beautiful plot where they begin to dance with one another. During the night men stop by to grab a dance with the young ladies. One young gentlemen stops in that catches Tess attention. This man watches her intently yet refuses to dance with her. Later in the story it is discovered that this man is Angel Clare. Clare and Tess get married, yet not before she endures serious hardships due to his absence. Fate killed the Durbeyfield horse, Prince. After a night of drinking Tess father was unable to bring the eggs to the marketplace. Tess was forced out of bed to bring the goods. During the ride to the marketplace Prince is killed by a passing postman. The death of Prince brought a severe financial crisis to the Durbeyfield family. Tess blames herself for the death of the horse and decides she must call on wealthy kin to help her family. Fate brought Tess to the home of her supposed kin, Alec Stoke-DUrberville. Tess went to Alec in hope of earning enough money to purchase a new horse for her family. While there she takes care of the poultry and Alecs elderly mother. While at the home Tess accompanies Alec on a ride through the woods. Fate got them lost in the woods, caused Tess to fall asleep while waiting for Alec to find where they were and caused Tess to be raped. Fate brought about the death of Tess bastard child, Sorrow. Sorrow was born into a home broken by poverty and shame. He had no chance of survival...

John smith4 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

John smith4 - Essay Example Secondly, during his voyages, Captain John Smith made the first map of the region. This map also led to the discovery of Jamestown and people we able to access the town using the maps made by the captain. The article is written to appreciate the contributions that one Captain John Smith made towards making Jamestown one of the earliest towns to be inhabited in the history of America. It also seeks to appreciate the significant strides that the town has taken in the last 400 years. The articles intended audience is the people of Jamestown. The article will help them appreciate where the town has come from and the strides it has taken to be where it is today and also celebrate the people who have helped the town like Captain John Smith. I was interested in captain Smith voyages in which he travelled over 1500 miles with a bowing boat. These were the excursions that made him draw up the map of Jamestown. I was also interested in how the town decided to commemorate Captain John Smith by having a similar voyage to which he had 400 years