Reflection paper 14

Aristotle’s ideas impacted the modern western education by, in the great chain of being; Aristotle was trying to make sense of the relationship among living things. Everything had a place in the world; you were either at the top of the food chain, or the bottom of the food chain. Aristotle had a vision of perfection and the universe was his subject. The Great Chain was perfect, there were no “empty links in the chain, and no link was represented by more than one species.” This impacted the modern western education by in Aristotle mind species could never change. This created higher thinking in the western education, not allowing them to create a more active view of the natural world. Without these limitations it is plausible that Darwin would never have made such an impression why he published his idea about evolution. Aristotle also came up with the four causes; the first cause described materialist views and outcomes. For example a silver cup, this cup was shaped to be a cup and there for will forever be a cup. This is taught that what you see is what you get, in order to receive more you must make the best out of what you already have. The second cause is, the objects form and pattern. What you make out if it is what you get, but the use you put in it, and the value you give it, is worth more than the actual object. The third cause is, initiating a source. This is where cause and effect come to play. When you cause something to happen, the effect will become your outcome and that is what has changed. The fourth cause is the purpose of the thing, the purpose to go to school was to get an education. You as a citizen were something to society being about to get an education was to improve your position, allowing you to move up in the world, or just giving you the chance to play your role in society. Aristotle also impacted the modern western education with the unmoved mover. Aristotle explains to us that this means what it is what it is, but it also is potentially something else. This comes to play in the western education with gifted programs. They may be perceived as dumb and initiatively have no motive in being in school. Yet just because it is perceived that way doesn’t mean it is that way. Gifted kids become unmotivated when they have no one to motivate them. Being stuck in a class learning the same thing as everyone else when you already know it gets boring. Therefore they get themselves into a habit of sitting back and not caring. This is the case of it being potentially something else, when you don’t feel you need to learn something you won’t; it is as simple as that.