#knowledge definition

Credit: Gina G. O'Neill Source: Gina G. O'Neill: Life and PhD

Both Plato and Aristotle believed that there is a world of true knowledge, the ultimate reality of the world that has been created perfectly by God (or the equivalent concept of God). What did each of the two philosophers propose as the route or method to obtaining that true knowledge? Because of their particular theory about the search for true knowledge, what would be each of their views on the nature/nurture debate? Which of the two views is superior to the other? Why?

Plato believed that true knowledge is attainable through reflection, introspection, and rational thought. Plato’s theory of knowledge being innate, he emphasized the importance of searching ones experiences innately and rediscovering those experiences. This pathway of obtaining knowledge sprung up from his reminiscence theory of knowledge. Influenced by Pythagorean beliefs, he believed of the immortality of the soul, that, before the soul was implanted in the human body it habitated among the forms, thus making the soul knowledgeable of the form it inhabited.

Aristotle, a rationalist and an empiricist, created his own interpretation of true knowledge based on his own logical reasoning. He believed that sensory experience should be the raw material for reasoning. To truly understand something, one must carefully observe that ‘something’ and carefully attempt to determine its four causalities, i.e. material, formal, efficient, and final cause.

Plato captured his own theory of knowledge by pure thought process, while Aristotle arrived to his own theory by examining nature directly. Plato believed that all knowledge existed independently of nature while Aristotle considered nature and knowledge to be inseparable. Plato and Aristotle both had different views on the path of true knowledge. Each case in point clearly viewed Plato’s theory establishing the body being a hindrance in the search for knowledge, whereas, Aristotle’s did not.

Aristotle’s view of knowledge is more sensible for today’s time. With respect to his teacher, Plato, Aristotle willingly learned from his teacher, yet he deliberately made in-depth research based on what he learned, and then undertook a more reasonable endeavor of reassessing his way of thinking and findings, causing his empirical approach to open new enlightenments on achieving knowledge, aligning to God’s perfect creation.

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