Plato's wisdom involves reducing self-deception for inner peace and connection with reality.
Aristotle's scientific approach emphasizes cultivating character and virtues for personal growth and a meaningful life.
Deep dives
Plato's notion of wisdom and inner conflict
Plato's notion of wisdom involves aligning the psyche to reduce inner conflict and self-deception, leading to inner peace. This reduction in self-deception also helps us connect with reality and know ourselves better. Plato sees wisdom as an anagogic process that allows us to pick up on real patterns, increase self-knowledge, and be in contact with reality.
The influence of Aristotle
Aristotle, a student of Plato, breaks away and develops a scientific approach to wisdom and meaning. He introduces the idea of growth and development, inspired by his interest in how living things grow. Aristotle believes that the structural-functional organization of an object determines its actions and behavior. He introduces the concepts of actuality and potentiality, where potentiality is shaped by form and determines an object's behavior.
Circular explanations and dynamical systems theory
Circular explanations, common in scientific models, often fall short in explaining growth and self-organizing systems. Alicia Juarrero, inspired by Aristotle, suggests dynamical systems theory as a solution. She distinguishes between causes and constraints, where constraints shape possibilities and enable or select events. This theory provides a framework for understanding growth and development, exemplified by Aristotle's idea of cultivating character and optimizing potential.
Aristotle's account of development and character
Aristotle emphasizes the cultivation of character as crucial for development and meaning. Character goes beyond personality, as it results from consciously shaping the virtual engine that regulates growth and development. Virtues play a significant role in this process, allowing individuals to live up to their potential and become more fully human. Aristotle sees personal growth and development as integral to a meaningful life.
