Critically compare Plato's rationalism with Aristotle's Empiricism

Graded : 20/30 (B)

Aristotle and Plato used very different approaches when trying to understand the world around them. Despite their Mentor-Mentee relationship their approaches couldn't have been more different. Plato's rationalist approach meant that he relied on logical truths, knowledge which he claimed all humans obtained from another realm. Aristotle on the other hand, approached the world with and empirical viewpoint, he based his theories on the physical world around him. Since the introduction of their theories and argument has ensued. Empiricism, however, does seem to be the better approach, as it is readily available to all, as it can be proven using evidence found in the world around us.

The platonic world of forms and the idea that knowledge is obtained from another realm lacks physical evidence. In his theory, Plato explains that everything in the world is constantly changing unlike the permant, immutable and perfect essences of concepts found in the world of appearances. Rationalists, may argue that there must be true forms of abstarct concepts, such as beauty, because otherwise we would all have vastly different on what true beauty is, however magazines and surveys like GQ, gentleman quartley, proves the existences of a similar idea of beauty between people. Empiricalists, however, may dispute that argument as they view it as an illogical jump to arrive at the 'theory of the forms' from the premise that all things have a truth in common. Furthermore, the Rationalist argument is unsuccessful because it does not allow for the invention of new modern products as the existence of an immutable world…