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Aristotle vs. Plato


            "Yet it would perhaps be thought to better, indeed to be our duty, for the sake of maintaining the truth even to destroy what touches us closely, especially as we are philosophers or lovers of wisdom; for while both are dear, piety requires us to honour truth above our friends.".
             -- Aristotle, Neomachean Ethics, p. 165.
             In Aristotle's writings, he disagrees with Plato's views on the world in many different instances. In this quote, he states that though Plato is his friend and might have taught him a lot, Aristotle believes his way of thinking is correct and he isn't afraid to refute Plato's ideas. This mindset is revealed in many of his books.
             In his book Neomachean Ethics, Aristotle's ideas conflict with those of Plato many times. First, and probably most significant, Aristotle rejects Plato's idea of form and instead believes that things can't exist outside of material objects. Aristotle believes goodness lies in the physical world. This is a direct contrast to Plato's devaluing of the physical world and the idea that all material things constantly strive to be better or closer to the ideal form. In this book, Aristotle also examines virtue and draws the conclusion that virtue takes practice, teaching, and time, and is a habit that becomes part of you. Aristotle then forms the famous idea of the golden mean. This means that virtue is actually not extreme, but a healthy balance of mannerisms. This opposes Plato's view that all numbers are set in stone, and to be virtuous, you must strive to obtain the extreme.
             In the book of Politics, Aristotle points out the many flaws of Plato's ideal state and creates ideas of his own. First, Aristotle objects to Plato's suggestion to have common children in the state. It is argued that if people didn't know who their real child was, there would be so many possible children for them that they wouldn't treat any of them like their own.


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