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“The safest general characterization of the European philosophical tradition is that it consists of a series of footnotes to Plato” - Alfred North Whitehead
by ErikAugust 6y ago
“The safest general characterization of the European philosophical tradition is that it consists of a series of footnotes to Plato” - Alfred North Whitehead
- crazygringo 6y agoWhich has always felt like such an unusual characterization. I've read a ton of philosophy papers and books. Only rarely does one come across a reference to Plato in modern-day writing and theorizing. Whereas Aristotle crops up constantly. Plato was the first well-known philosopher, but honestly, none of his ideas are particularly relevant today. Whereas Aristotle really was so prolific and practical that I'd argue this quote only becomes true if you substitute Plato with Aristotle.
- errantmind 6y agoWhitehead was a proponent of process philosophy, a philosophy of 'becoming' as contrasted with Plato's philosophy of 'being'. This division can be traced back further to pre-socratic philosophy, i.e. Parmenides (being) and Heraclitus (becoming). Aristotle continued firmly on the same tract as Parmenides and Plato in terms of having a philosophical focus on being, and today we take this type of thinking for granted as it has permeated nearly all of western philosophy and society. Aristotle may have been more prolific but I suspect the quote is referencing this division more than anything else.