Aristotle
The Original Most Interesting Man in the World
You’ve heard of Socrates? Plato? Boring. You think the Dos Equis’ spokesman was based on Hemingway? Well actually… he probably was, but Hemingway was a piker compared to Aristotle.
Aristotle was born in 384 BCE and the world has never been the same. His story begins as a young boy wandering the halls of the palace in Macedon. He was orphaned at an early age and raised by his sister’s husband. At age 18, he joined Plato’s Academy where he did exactly what one would expect — spend the next twenty years in college.
Shortly before or after Plato’s death, Aristotle and a pair of friends went on a road trip… well more of boat trip. Now as far as friends go, a former slave turned king and the next leader of Plato’s academy make for interesting travel companions. The fact that both were a decade younger than Aristotle couldn’t have hurt.
And as any good Ancient Greek Road Trip should, the trio quickly found themselves on the Isle of Lesbos. What may have transpired on that island expedition is lost to history. Numerous poems, statues, and paintings, including one by the awkwardly named Titian, have given us a pretty good idea. Aristotle left with a wife and a daughter…
What was next for History’s Most Interesting Man?
After two decades in college and a colossal romp through the Greek Isles, Aristotle moved to his next “best purpose”. Aristotle became the teacher of Alexander the Great. Alexander was one of many future kings to study with “The First Teacher”. To his credit, he was also the only one to go off and conquer the known world.
For his part, Alexander would credit his teacher with much of his success. Aristotle’s iterative approach to teaching, his ability to build on the knowledge of his own former teachers like Socrates and Plato, and his already boss reputation as the smartest man alive — made quite and impact on the eventual ruler of the ancient world.
“I am indebted to my father for living, but to my teacher for living well.”
“I had rather excel others in the knowledge of what is excellent, than in the extent of my power and dominion.”
But he didn’t stop there…
Aristotle would go on to found nearly every major science of which you’ve ever heard. From zoology to metaphysics, medicine to analytics, politics to biology — the man was prolific. He founded new schools and libraries. He abandoned some of Plato’s teachings to bring the world empiricism.
He inspired kings, conjectured continents (Antarctica), wrote poetry and music, published books and manuals, and inspired thinkers for centuries to come. He is credited for the evolution of Judeo-Christian philosophy and is revered as “the first teacher” in the Muslim world. Today historians suspect that only a third of Aristotle’s works survived the trials of time. With all we know of history’s Most Interesting Man, imagine just how much has been lost.
His Legacy
Chaucer, Rembrandt, Cicero, and Rafael have all paid homage to the Most Interesting Man in the World. His students alone represent a who’s who of the ancient world. Mountains have been named for him, as have craters on the moon. When Jonathon Goldsmith’s iconic character finally arrives on Mars, odds are the influence of Aristotle will have long been present.
Stay curious my friends!
