Socrates And Aristotle 's Life

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As the Greek philosopher Aristotle is widely thought to have said, "The ultimate value of life depends upon awareness and the power of contemplation rather than upon mere survival." The earliest accounts of human history chronicle the struggle for survival against all odds. It is therefore remarkable that roughly 2400 years ago the question of virtue was raised, let alone contemplated at great length, forming a foundation upon which Western philosophers build to the present day. Socrates and Aristotle were two key individuals credited for their roles in the advent of Classical philosophy. Men in ancient Greece lived relatively privileged lives (save for war, disease, and lack of indoor plumbing), giving rise to a class of people able to devote time to leisurely pursuits and intellectual inquiry. Indeed, Socrates and Aristotle were far from the only free men in ancient Greece to contemplate truth and virtue, but their respective contributions afford them contemporary relevance. While they both were philosophers, they led tremendously different lives. Socrates lived from 469 BC to 399 BC, while Aristotle from 384 BC to 322 BC; despite the overlap in their lives, Aristotle was never directly under Socrates 's tutelage. Rather, Aristotle was a pupil of Plato, who was a pupil of Socrates. As a testament to the intellectual climate and diversity of thought characteristic of this era in Hellenic Athens, the two philosophers differed in their fundamental understanding of the
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