Aristotle

Aristotle was born in a Greek prefecture known as Chalkidiki in 384 BC into an intellectually inclined family as his father was a King 's physician . As a youth , he was educated in the form of an aristocrat , and after his 18th birthday he was sent to finish his education under the tutelage of Plato . At Plato 's Academy , he remained for two decades beyond the time of Plato 's death , after which he did extensive travels studying scientific areas such as zoology and botany . Soon his scholarship became so renowned that he

was invited to become the tutor of a young Alexander the Great . After devoting many years to the tutoring of Alexander , Aristotle set up his own school in Athens , and during this twelve-year period he is supposed to have composed many of his philosophical dialogues and made contributions to the sciences philosophy , education and literature . When Alexander died , Aristotle came under scrutiny and criticism as one who did not esteem the gods and was forced to flee Athens . He died approximately one year later (Bostock , 1994

Aristotle 's views on universals stem from his metaphysical ideas concerning substances . He considers substances to be the only definable form of existence , and exists in the form of universals . His belief is that the form of a substance is its essence , and this can be compared to a universal species . One example of his use of substance to usher in the idea of universals is his assertion of the difference between Socrates and Callias resulting from their matter (or their distinction as different humans , but also their oneness resulting from the similarity of their form or species (Bostock , 1994 . Therefore , since the same form is ascribed to the two different humans , they are said to be distinct instances of the same universal species

However , Aristotle 's main argument concerning universals appears to exist to prove the distinction between universals and substances . It might be viewed that universals , in Aristotle 's view , are actually ideals formed from the generalization of a variety of substances that does not itself hold substance on the earth . He bases his philosophy of the universal on the identity of substance and form . He goes on to equate form with the universal , though he subsequently declares that no universal exists in the particular or as a substance (Cohen , 2003

Universals can , however , be instantiated , and this can occur several times , if not infinitely (Cohen , 2003 . The plethora of apples in the universe has led to the understanding of the apple-ness of a given thing . This understanding apple-ness ' is the universal created in the mind of the subject , and this becomes the standard to which he /she compares all apples in the future . Universals have to be considered as abstract beings or concepts as they are said to exist in all instances at one time . They do not behave as physical objects , but merely describe the category to which these objects belong . The formation of the concept of...