Biography of ARISTOTLE (384-322 BC)

Aristotle lived and developed his work in Ancient Greece, and is considered one of the founders of empiricism . He was born in 384 BC in Estargia, north of Greece. His father was the doctor of Philip of Macedonia (father of Alexander the Great). From 18 to 38 he was in the school of Plato . With the death of Plato in 347 BC, he decided to continue his biological and philosophical studies in Asia Minor. In 342 BC he returned to Macedonia as tutor of Alexander the Great, a relationship that lasted two or three years. By 335 BC Aristotle had returned to Athens, where he studied and explained logic, epistemology, physics, biology, political ethics and aesthetics. He was the first philosopher of science.He created discipline by analyzing certain problems that arise in connection with scientific explanation.

 At that time it was believed that there were two worlds: the world of ideas (a perfect world, unreal) and the world of matter (the real, the imperfect). But Aristotle believed that there was only one world, the real , considered nature as something sacred, where all things could be in two possible ways: in act , when you have all the properties at that very moment and in power , when still they have not developed the properties, but they will have them in the future. For example, a child is a potential adult, but a child in act.

 For Aristotle the mind or psyche is the first act of all things, is what makes it possible for us to feel and perceive. There are also three types of psyche: vegetative (of plants), sensitive (of animals) and rational (of man). Human psychology is based on the five senses.

 He believed that the processes of knowledge are produced through the senses. He maintained that the mind at birth is like a clean slate , lacks innate ideas and everything depends on learning. Learning depends directly on memory, which works on the basis of similarity (relating similar things), contrast (observing differences) and contiguity (we remember things that are together in space and time).

 Aristotle claimed that the processes of motivation were guided by two poles: liking and dislike . Our mind guides us to pleasure and rejects or separates us from dislike. The ultimate goal of any motivation is happiness and this is achieved through the pursuit of self-perfection; be more perfect and complete.

 Aristotle's views on psychological matters have exerted great influence and marked much of our ideas about human behavior throughout the ages. His doctrines had a particular impact on the Western premises about learning and motivation.