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  • Chapter 4 - Aristotle’s Refinement of Theoria

  • Julie K. Ward, Loyola University, Chicago
  • Book:
    Searching for the Divine in Plato and Aristotle
    Published online:
    09 December 2021
    Print publication:
    16 December 2021, pp 86-117

  • Summary

    The fourth chapter examines Aristotle's distinctive contribution to the history of theoria, one which develops Plato's idea of an intellectual activity aimed at the apprehension of form, concluding it counts among the highest human activities. In many ways, Aristotle would concur with Plato's rejection of traditional theoria as a pursuit practiced by unphilosophical, doxastic believers. Leaving aside a negative critique of the practice, his own treatment emphasizes the great intellectual potential afforded by philosophical theoria. For Aristotle, this activity consists in a specific kind of thinking he connects to scientific understanding; in other aspects, he compares the activity to seeing, describing the performance as divine, or god-like, in its nature.