384–322 BC · ancient philosophy, logic, ethics, metaphysics, rhetoric
Aristotle (384–322 BC) was a Greek philosopher and polymath, a student of Plato and tutor to Alexander the Great. He wrote on an astonishing range of subjects, including physics, metaphysics, ethics, logic, biology, rhetoric, and politics, fundamentally shaping Western thought. His empirical approach to knowledge and systematic classification laid groundwork for scientific inquiry for millennia.