384-322 B.C.E.
Philosopher And Scientist

Significance. Aristotle is one of the greatest intellectual figures in history. More than any other ancient Greek thinker, he helped define Western rationalism and scientific methodology. In fact, until the end of the seventeenth century, Western intellectual culture was labeled Aristotelian. His greatest achievements were in the study of formal logic and pioneering the field of zoology, in which his theories were not replaced until the 1800s.

Student and Teacher. Born in 384 B.C.E. at Stagira, a small coastal town in northern Greece, Aristotle grew up in an environment that offered him many rich opportunities to observe and think about the natural world. His father, Nicomachus, was court physician to Amyntas II, king of Macedonia. His later interest in biology has often been attributed to his father's influence upon him. At the age of seventeen, Aristotle went to Athens...