Aristotle
Metaphysics, Poetics, Ethics
The master of those who know. Where Plato soared toward the Forms, Aristotle looked at the world as it is — classifying, analyzing, building systems of knowledge that remained authoritative into the modern era.
Key works
- Nicomachean Ethics~340 BC— Virtue, happiness, the good life
- Poetics~335 BC— Tragedy, catharsis, dramatic structure
- Metaphysics~350 BC— Being, substance, causation