Aristotle was born (384BC – 322BC) in Stagira, Macedonia (northern Greece) around 384 BC. His father, Nicomachus was a physician. After his father’s death, he travelled to Athens to join the Academy of Plato. Some sources suggest he lived quite a boisterous and wild young life, but at the same time grew into a model student of Plato. Aristotle was not only very intelligent but had a thirst for knowledge and was always searching to push the boundaries of discovery. He had an independent mind – questioning received wisdom and looking at subjects from a new angle. He deeply impressed Plato through his ability to resolve difficult questions and previously unsolvable problems. Aristotle was a Greek philosopher, natural scientist and polymath, who made extensive studies into the world around us. He was widely regarded as the greatest of the ancient thinkers and his extensive studies and writings had a lasting impact on science, philosophy and an approach based on reason and logical thinking. Whilst many of his teachings have been superseded – for over a 1,000 years his writings formed an important basis of western and Islamic culture.
