Aristotle and Sport
Aristotle (384 BC – 322) was Plato’s student, the teacher of Alexander the Great and a thinker of towering genius. He is credited with devising the academic curriculum as we know it: logic, literature, science, metaphysics, psychology, epistemology, ethics, politics, aesthetics. To all of these he made contributions which make most modern thinkers seem like jobbing apprentices. In addition, his work covered anatomy, economics, ecology, meterology, medicine etc. This was a man who simply could not stop thinking.
Perhaps his greatest achievement was to restore faith in the physical world, which Plato had questioned. In particular, the human body now becomes something of value, worth considering in the quest to lead an ethical life. Physical health is as important as mental ‘balance’ in the good life. Physical exercise, especially sport which strengthens community as well as the body, is a part of human well-being. This support for our bodily life was important for Christians trying to teach others about the doctrine of bodily Resurrection.
Aristotle (384 BC – 322) was Plato’s student, the teacher of Alexander the Great and a thinker of towering genius. He is credited with devising the academic curriculum as we know it: logic, literature, science, metaphysics, psychology, epistemology, ethics, politics, aesthetics. To all of these he made contributions which make most modern thinkers seem like jobbing apprentices. In addition, his work covered anatomy, economics, ecology, meterology, medicine etc. This was a man who simply could not stop thinking.
Perhaps his greatest achievement was to restore faith in the physical world, which Plato had questioned. In particular, the human body now becomes something of value, worth considering in the quest to lead an ethical life. Physical health is as important as mental ‘balance’ in the good life. Physical exercise, especially sport which strengthens community as well as the body, is a part of human well-being. This support for our bodily life was important for Christians trying to teach others about the doctrine of bodily Resurrection.
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