Aristotelianism
Aristotelianism is the philosophical tradition that develops, interprets, or applies Aristotle’s teachings on logic, nature, ethics, and metaphysics.
Aristotle: An ancient Greek philosopher whose works shaped logic, natural philosophy, ethics, politics, and metaphysics. His writings are the primary source and enduring point of reference for the tradition.
Peripatetic school: The philosophical school associated with Aristotle and the Lyceum in Athens. It was the earliest institutional setting for teaching and extending Aristotle’s philosophy.
Avicenna: A Persian philosopher and physician whose works developed influential interpretations of Aristotelian philosophy. His metaphysics reshaped the transmission and criticism of Aristotle in both Islamic and Latin thought.
Platonism: A philosophical tradition inspired by Plato that emphasizes intelligible Forms and their relation to sensible things. Its account of Forms contrasts with Aristotle’s emphasis on form within individual substances.
Scholasticism: A medieval method of learning that used rigorous argument and authoritative texts to investigate philosophical and theological questions. Aristotelian works and methods became foundational in much medieval scholastic teaching.
Four causes: Aristotle’s account of material, formal, efficient, and final explanations of change and existence. Aristotelians use these explanatory kinds to analyze nature, artifacts, and living things.
Theophrastus: An ancient Greek philosopher and naturalist who succeeded Aristotle as head of the Lyceum. His leadership and writings carried Aristotelian inquiry beyond Aristotle’s lifetime.
Averroes: A twelfth-century Andalusian philosopher and commentator on Aristotle. His extensive commentaries became a major source for medieval Aristotelian debates.
Atomism: The view that matter consists ultimately of indivisible particles and empty space. It conflicts with Aristotelian explanations based on continuous matter, form, and natural change.
Medieval university: A European institution of higher learning that emerged during the Middle Ages. University curricula made the study of Aristotle a structured part of advanced education.