Philosophy & ThoughtGreek → English
Aristotelian
/ˌærɪstəˈtiːliən/adjective
Relating to Aristotle, or to a way of thinking built on observation, classification, and the purposes of things.
The Greek roots
ἄριστος
áristos
best
τέλος
télos
end, purpose
Literally: “of the man named best-purpose”
The story of the word
The name was a hope expressed by his father at birth, and the second half of it turned out to be the hinge of the son's whole system: for Aristotle everything has a τέλος, an end it is aiming at, and to explain a thing is to say what it is for. Teleology is named from that idea. Medieval writers called him simply the Philosopher, no name needed, and quoting him settled arguments for four centuries.
- How it travelled
- Ancient Greek → Latin → English
- First recorded
- 16th century
Same family
aristocracyteleologyaristocrat
In a sentence
The syllabus takes an Aristotelian line: start with the animals in front of you, then generalise.