Assessment Of Aristotle's Natural Concept

This paper mainly discusses the idea of nature on Aristotle, and analyses the ways of thought of different periods through these ideas of nature in history. Thus, the misunderstanding of human nature in Aristotle's idea of nature closed by modem can be cleared up in order to return to the original human nature. In another word, the idea of nature been clearing up is the idea of nature led by the way of thought of the contemporary era, so it's the a part of idea of nature of contemporary era. The details of it as follows:First: Aristotle's idea of nature opening to us all. Aristotle's idea of nature begins with theangle of the beings as being--motion of its being. He considers that nature means the principleof motional things or motionless ones because of reasons in itself not of contingency. There are two different meanings: one, nature is the condition of motion in itself; two, nature shows itself and return itself with motion. With the comparasion of technical things, Aristotle explains theextension of natural things. Here he permeates his way of thought in detail--the things that theprinciple of motion is in itself is natural things.Second: Modern science and philosophy closing Aristotle's idea of nature to us together. It seems as if Aristotle's ideas of nature would have withdrawn from the vision of modern after the division of the whole world. While it wasn't abandoned, and hide in the background of thoughtless common knowledge, meaning closed. From the "speciality" to "universality", from "quality" to "quantity", new idea of nature is constituted. Inspiteof the need of modern nature seeking to the nature of things is hidden in the background of common knowledge. So the idea of nature is not the Aristotle's which is closed to us.Third: The problem of human nature in modern idea of nature. Not only do human being pursue this or that kind of social order, but also provide the reasonable trustful reasons backing this or that kind of social order. In the Middle Age, "Natural Law" became the system of right and justice sharing by human. In modern tune, thinkers found another set of reasons of right and justice by changing the meaning of "nature". As a result, human nature of Aristotle is confined with biology and humanness in modern vision. Once they related to the action controlled by spirit of human, they considered them as non-natural. Then, it will be found out a contradiction in Aristotle's politics, which "polis" is both natural and non-natural.Forth: The problem of human nature in Aristotle's idea of nature. The above contradiction is the result of modern way of thought, in fact there is no contradiction in Aristotle's whole system of knowledge. Because practice is the motion of being as being of human nature, that is to say, the period of human taking part in the political practice is the period of their gaining happiness. From the point of "Human is an animal of politics", human must obtain happiness in the polis. It's ridiculous that human would get happiness without polis practice. The aim of law and educationis to help with people to gain happiness. In a word, the outcome of human practice--polis isnatural.