Abstract
‘The Philosophical Background’ focuses on the influence of Plato on Aristotle. Aristotle was a systematic thinker, and shared Plato’s vision of a unified theory of science. While Aristotle indisputably turned logic into a science and invented the discipline of formal logic, Plato had initiated enquiry into the foundations of logic and expected his pupils to train themselves in argumentation. Aristotle did not accept Plato’s theory of Forms, but it influenced his own numerous efforts to develop an alternative ontology. In Plato’s view, the notions of science and knowledge were intimately tied to that of explanation – a concern inherited by Aristotle, who also shared his master’s interest in epistemological discussion.
