Rhetoric

Although he was one of the most accomplished intellectuals of antiquity, there is surprisingly little biographical information on Aristotle. He was born in Stagira, Chalkidiki, in Northern Greece, in 384 BCE. His father was a physician who might have worked in the Macedonian royal court.

At 18, Aristotle moved to Athens and enrolled in Plato’s Academy. He excelled in the study of science and philosophy, and he remained at the Academy for 20 years, until Plato’s death. Aristotle then accepted a position as tutor to the son of King Philip II of Macedon, Alexander (who would become Alexander the Great). After the Macedonian conquest of Athens, Aristotle opened a library and school at the Lyceum (a temple to the god Apollo) in Athens. He and his followers became known as the Peripatetics (“those who walk around”), due to their tendency to wander as they debated. Aristotle fled Athens in 322 BCE, following an uprising against Macedon; his relationship with Alexander had made him a target. The philosopher died later that year.

Aristotle is regarded as the “Father of Western Philosophy,” alongside his teacher Plato, and his writings covered nearly every conceivable subject of study. Besides the Rhetoric, which has formed the basis for all rhetorical study to this day, Aristotle wrote treatises on ethics, politics, aesthetics, biology, and more.