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Aristotle's Influence on Alexander's Education

In our study of Ancient History within our course so far, it is impossible to ignore the

Hellenistic World and its impact upon us. Although we live in North America and thrive in an era

well over 2 1/4 millennia later, the influence of the Greek culture is profound. "The Greek cultural

influence and power was at its peak in Europe, Africa and Asia, experiencing prosperity and

progress in the arts, exploration, literature, theatre, architecture, music, mathematics,

philosophy, and science" ("Hellenistic Period." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 17 July 2017.

Web. 20 July 2017.). Why were we so influenced by this Hellenization? Why do we still feel,

see and experience the influence of the Greek culture? As we have seen and read in Module

6:The Hellenistic World, the answer would be the consolidation of Greece by Philip II of

Macedon and its proliferation by Alexander the Great. The spreading of the Hellenistic culture

was tremendous and wide reaching. Everyday that we use the English language to converse or

share thoughts, we are under their sphere of influence. If it were merely a question of

invading armies and glory-seeking egomaniacs, I don't believe that we would still be enjoying

the Greek architecture in this country or relying so heavily on their arts and sciences. Much of

our English vocabulary is based on their language. In contrast, there is little daily impact on our

contemporary American life from the Huns or the Mongols, for example. It is because of

Alexander the Great that the world was Hellenized...but why? Simply put, Alexander the Great

loved and appreciated arts, science and culture. It stands to reason that Alexander spread the

arts, sciences and culture of his people across the known world. However, other kings,

generals, conquerors, etc. didn't have as much of a lasting importance and influence because

they personally didn't appear to have the deep and abiding love for the arts and sciences as did

Alexander. The greatest gift that Philip II of Macedon gave to his son Alexander wasn't a

hereditary keen intellect or a superior military training (of course, these were important gifts).

The greatest gift that Philip gave to Alexander was his education, specifically an education
under Aristotle. Alexander was the student of Aristotle. Aristotle was the student of Plato. Plato

was the student of Socrates. Aristotle, Plato and Socrates are considered to be "the three major

philosophers of ancient Greece" (http:www.pothos.org/content/indexa1bd.html?page=aristotle).

Thus, Alexander had quite the pedigree. It's important to note that "Alexander is said to have

been more attached to Aristotle than to his father Philip" (ibid.). "According to Plutarch,

among Alexander's traits were a violent temper and rash, impulsive nature" ("Alexander the

Great." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 16 July 2017. Web. 21 July 2017.). There was a

highly "competitive side" with "reckless behaviour in battle" and "stubborn" (ibid.). These

aspects of his personality seem to have been tamed by Aristotle. Alexander "was open to

reasoned debate. He had a calmer side-perceptive, logical, and calculating. He had a great

desire for knowledge, a love for philosophy, and was an avid reader. This was no doubt in part

due to Aristotle's tutelage; Alexander was intelligent and quick to learn. His intelligent and

rational side was amply demonstrated by his ability and success as a general"

(ibid.). "Alexander was erudite and patronized both arts and sciences" (ibid.). To all of this,

we are indebted to Aristotle. Aristotle shaped and molded Alexander to be more than just a

warrior or a general. Some invaders ran roughshod over their vanquished foes. Alexander didn't

merely pillage. He spread Hellenism by transplanting his language, arts, sciences and culture

across most of the known world. His love for all of these things went hand in hand with the

transplanting. His love for the glorious gifts of the Hellenistic culture were cultivated by Aristotle.

Aristotle's influence on Alexander cannot be overstated. Aristotle left his imprint on Alexander,

while Alexander left his imprint, the Hellenistic culture, upon much of Europe, Asia and Africa.

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