Aristotle, Human Nature, and Education Today

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Final Paper December 10, 2012 Aristotle, Human Nature, and Education Today It is easy to wonder how a mere philosophical thought could impact the way education is practiced today as we know it. Aristotle's way of life reflected the way he thought and what philosophies he wrote for people to view, and are still part of the way we educate today. Aristotle believed that “the correct conceptions of virtue and happiness, are those based on human nature, so too the correct sort of education must also be base on human nature, respecting its needs, abilities, and limitations” (Reeves 54). He has many philosophies that are brought right into the modern classroom without anyone knowing they are present and playing an important role. His philosophies are truly remarkable in their ability to traverse time and still find a place of relevance in the modern educational system. When a person creates something or teaches something, the philosophies brought in the classroom become so innate that people who use it don't even know it exists. Realism is an educational philosophy, which stresses knowledge that develops from one's own senses. Under this philosophy the idea exists that there is a real world not constructed by human imagination, which can be known by one's own mind. It is through experiencing the world around one’s self in which a person learns the guiding principles and social conduct of life. Reality is what one experiences in the physical world. Therefore, everything one can learn and know comes from experiencing the world around the individual. Aristotle can be considered to be one of the greatest philosophers of the pre-Christian world. He was born in a Grecian colony at Stagira, 384 B.C.E. From birth he was placed into a set life. His father, Nicomachus, held the position of court physician under the King Amyntas of Macedonia. It is easy to relate Aristotle’s
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