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[[Charles Murray]] said, "(Aristotle) more or less invented [[logic]], which was of pivotal importance in human history (and no other civilization ever came up with it independently)." <ref>http://www.isteve.com/2003_QA_with_Charles_Murray_on_Human_Accomplishment.htm</ref>   

[[Charles Murray]] said, "(Aristotle) more or less invented [[logic]], which was of pivotal importance in human history (and no other civilization ever came up with it independently)." <ref>http://www.isteve.com/2003_QA_with_Charles_Murray_on_Human_Accomplishment.htm</ref>   

Aristotle also formulated [[Virtue Ethics]], a code of living which emphasizes what sort of person we want to be when making a decision, rather than, as tends to be the focus in modern ethical thinking, the motives or the consequences of actions (see ''[[Nicomachean Ethics]]''). When Aristotle's teachings were brought back to Europe at the end of the [[Dark Ages]] by [[Arab]] [[merchant]]s, [[Aquinas]], eager to reconcile Catholicism with Aristotle's secular empiricism, developed [[Natural Law Theory]].

Aristotle also formulated [[Virtue]] Ethics, a code of living which emphasizes what sort of person we want to be when making a decision, rather than, as tends to be the focus in modern ethical thinking, the motives or the consequences of actions (see ''[[Nicomachean Ethics]]''). When Aristotle's teachings were brought back to Europe at the end of the [[Dark Ages]] by [[Arab]] [[merchant]]s, [[Aquinas]], eager to reconcile Catholicism with Aristotle's secular empiricism, developed [[Natural Law Theory]].

Aristotle was not a [[theist]] and rejected the existence of the [[Greek mythology|old gods]] many Athenians worshiped. However, he recognized the impossibility of an [[infinite regress]] of cause and effect in the natural world, and so postulated the [[Unmoved Mover]] as a [[first cause]] of the natural world. Some argue this makes Aristotle the first recorded [[deism|deist]], though he did not predate certain movements in Egypt and the Near East, and his Unmoved Mover can very effectively be understood as part of man's journey towards the God of Christianity.

Aristotle was not a [[theist]] and rejected the existence of the [[Greek mythology|old gods]] many Athenians worshiped. However, he recognized the impossibility of an [[infinite regress]] of cause and effect in the natural world, and so postulated the [[Unmoved Mover]] as a [[first cause]] of the natural world. Some argue this makes Aristotle the first recorded [[deism|deist]], though he did not predate certain movements in Egypt and the Near East, and his Unmoved Mover can very effectively be understood as part of man's journey towards the God of Christianity.

His extant writings span a wide range of disciplines, from logic, [[metaphysics]] and philosophy of mind, through ethics, political theory, aesthetics and rhetoric, and into such primarily non-philosophical fields as empirical biology, where he excelled at detailed plant and animal observation and taxonomy. In all these areas, Aristotle's theories have provided illumination, met with resistance, sparked debate, and generally stimulated the sustained interest of an abiding readership.  Because of its wide range and its remoteness in time, Aristotle's philosophy defies easy encapsulation. The long history of interpretation and appropriation of Aristotelian texts and themes—spanning over two millennia and comprising philosophers working within a variety of religious and secular traditions—has rendered even basic points of interpretation controversial.<ref>http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/aristotle/</ref><ref>http://www.philosophypages.com/ph/aris.htm</ref>

His extant writings span a wide range of disciplines, from logic, [[metaphysics]] and philosophy of mind, through ethics, political theory, aesthetics and rhetoric, and into such primarily non-philosophical fields as empirical biology, where he excelled at detailed plant and animal observation and taxonomy. In all these areas, Aristotle's theories have provided illumination, met with resistance, sparked debate, and generally stimulated the sustained interest of an abiding readership.  Because of its wide range and its remoteness in time, Aristotle's philosophy defies easy encapsulation. The long history of interpretation and appropriation of Aristotelian texts and themes—spanning over two millennia and comprising philosophers working within a variety of religious and secular traditions—has rendered even basic points of interpretation controversial.<ref>http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/aristotle/</ref><ref>http://www.philosophypages.com/ph/aris.htm</ref>

==Quotes==

==Quotes==

*"Tolerance and apathy are the last virtues of a dying society."<ref>https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/8351394-tolerance-and-apathy-are-the-last-virtues-of-a-dying</ref>

*"Tolerance and apathy are the last virtues of a dying society."<ref>https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/8351394-tolerance-and-apathy-are-the-last-virtues-of-a-dying</ref>