Life and works of Aristotle

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Aristotle (384-322 B.C.) was born at Stagirus in Macedonia. His father’s name was Nicomachus. He was a physician in the court of King Amyntas II of Macedonia. It helped him to get acquainted with the future successor of the kingdom - Philip. Later on Philip made Aristotle tutor of his son and heir to the throne Alexander. At the age of seventeen (368-67 B.C) Aristotle went to Athens to become a member of Plato’s Academy. He was a quiet, refined and elegant scholar. He impressed the inmates of that home of learning. He made his mark among all by virtue of his myriad-minded genius and voracious appetite for learning. His versatile genius felt at home in politics, drama, poetry, physics, medicine, psychology, history, logic, astronomy, ethics, natural history, mathematics, rhetoric and biology. Plato and Aristotle liked and opposed each other on many issues in their debates.
When Plato died in 347 B.C., he was succeeded as head of the Academy by his nephew Spensippus. He was not a very intelligent person. Aristotle was rejected on the ground that he was not a native of Athens. He felt disgusted and left Athens as he got an invitation from one of his classmates Hermeias. He went to Assos (near Troy) where Hermeias had become Lord of Assos and Atarneus. He sought his help to build his government without interfering with his ambition to expand his territory and to increase his wealth. Aristotle was fortunate enough to marry Hermeias’s niece and adopted daughter Pythias. She brought with her a rich dowry and ensured him a free domestic life to pursue his scientific enquiries. But his stay at the court did not last long. He was kidnapped by the Persians. Later on they crucified him.
Aristotle has written about four hundred volumes. But they are not traced so far. The most important works of Aristotle are - 158 Constitutions (including the constitution of Athens), Dialogues; On Monarchy; Alexander; The Customs of Barbarians; Natural History; Organon, or The instrument of correct thinking; On the soul; Rhetoric; Logic; Educational Ethics; Nicomacheon Ethics; Physics; Metaphysics; Politics; Poetics. 

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