Topic > The Main Concepts of Aristotle's Metaphysics

Aristotle, also known as "The Philosopher", is one of the most important philosophers who brought new ideas into philosophy. Contrary to Plato's beliefs, one idea he introduced is that there are multiple types of sciences, not just one. However, he also believes that the greatest science of all is philosophy. In Aristotle's Metaphysics he shows readers a different side of philosophy that has never been shown before. He shows his different perspective when it comes to showing the reader how we delight in our natural curiosity by showing us the distinctions between perceptual knowledge, experiential knowledge, and knowledge as art in both its practical and theoretical form. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay In Aristotle's essays he shows how perceptual knowledge provides us with the natural desire to know. In other words, it provides us with natural human curiosity through the use of the senses. For example, if we hear screaming, we have a natural desire and instinct to want to look and see what is happening ("curiosity killed the cat"). This is why Aristotle claims that "all human beings by nature desire to know." This means that we all enjoy our natural curiosity about its prospect of giving knowledge to someone whose acquisition is effortless. The clue that Aristotle offers us is our senses. They are an indication and a sign to help show us how much pleasure we take in knowing this knowledge. The sense that pleases us most with this knowledge is sight. This type of knowledge, based on sight, is called perceptual knowledge. Perceptual knowledge produces an awareness or knowledge of simplicity and individuality in the present. The sense of sight is the most useful and loved by all. According to Aristotle, we prefer sight to the other senses because sight easily makes us aware of or provides us with knowledge of the many differences and varieties of what is happening in the present. No other sense can provide us with knowledge of differences to the extent that sight can. Aristotle goes on to teach us more about experiential knowledge and how it provides us with perceptual knowledge, memory, and hearing. Aristotle gives an example about memory and how it provides us with knowledge of the past and how hearing provides us with knowledge of awareness. Both provide us with experiential knowledge. This knowledge will help you understand and learn the meaning of right and wrong. Aristotle then states: “Now from memory experience is produced in human men…” Experiential knowledge comes from numerous memories of past events, providing insights into a set of our memories. The yield of intuition is also known as “rule of thumb” which is a type of knowledge obtained through experience. Experiential knowledge is a type of knowledge that does not require any type of formal education. In other words, experiential knowledge is awareness or knowledge of past events to be made useful for the present through memory and hearing. The fact of being able to have memory and hearing means that experiential knowledge is sequential knowledge because it also continues with the natural desire to know (perceptual knowledge). Experiential knowledge can never provide knowledge of the links between a set of actions because the links are the causes in the sequence of actions that do not manifest themselves in the actions. Even though art and experience appear to be similar, once art is once achieved, it ceases to be related to experience. Art-based knowledge helps differentiate the essential conditions for understanding somethingfrom the accidental characteristics that derive from experience. Arts-based knowledge provides; a universal or general rule about similar things, a knowledge that can be taught, and a knowledge of causes. These three topics (elements) make it possible for art-based knowledge to be random, not sequential, in knowledge. Art based knowledge is mostly in people who have had some sort of formal education and it doesn't matter if they have had any experience. This made art possible to be able to learn things like learning a language. Once art-based knowledge is achieved, it no longer refers to experience. This means that it is no longer in continuity with the natural desire to know. However, according to Aristotle “In view of action experience seems in no way inferior to art…” He also states two things; art-based knowledge does not in itself yield to awareness of the particular or individual, and art-based knowledge does not have a monopoly on producing positive outcomes. Furthermore, Aristotle believes that those whose knowledge is based on art are wiser than those whose knowledge is based on experience. The proof that Aristotle uses is that we desire to know by nature because such knowledge satisfies our curiosity and our needs. The only way we can fully understand art is to know its revelation of knowledge as knowledge of causes. Just like learning a language, the necessary condition for understanding something is not to differentiate from the incidental features that arise in experience, the absence of which would make no difference. But a person whose knowledge is solemnly based on experience would not know this. Aristotle paid much attention to the distinction between art and experience in order to bring out from art that element that prevails on the success of knowledge based on experience. Aristotle then begins to differentiate between two types of art-based knowledge. Knowledge based on art and oriented towards producing a useful result is a practical art, while knowledge based on producing nothing useful is a theoretical art. As Aristotle states, some (practical) arts were created to meet the necessities of life, to satisfy human needs, to be useful to various parts of humanity, and if not, to all humanity. Others (theoreticals), however, were created for their own sake, with no utility in mind. Aristotle believes that theoretical art emerges only when needs have been satisfied because those who engage in theoretical art are wiser or have knowledge to a greater extent than those who engage in practical art. This is because theoretical art emerges when it comes to light as if it does not serve us or serve any purpose, unlike practical art. Even though theoretical art is not good for humanity, Aristotle states that knowledge based on theoretical art is more choice-worthy than knowledge based on practical art. This is due to the fact that theoretical art is the most reliable in itself, regardless of whether or not pleasure, success or practical benefit comes from it. Aristotle calls this type of knowledge “wisdom”. Unlike practical art, wisdom is knowledge as an end in itself of first principles and causes, which establishes the importance and priority of other forms of knowledge or sciences over each other. Wisdom is a theoretical art that provides knowledge of causes for its own sake. . In the second part of Aristotle's metaphysics he mentions 6 characteristics that concern wisdom. It states that wisdom is a theoretical art or knowledge of cause as an end in itself which is: complete and synthetic, complex, precise, teachable,.