Oh, come on, nihil, it's plain that by "young" Aristotle did not mean only the age of the student, but the receptiveness. Alexander, the son of Philip of Macedonia, was raised in Philip's court, and must have learned much simply by observing, hence he was experienced in the actions that occur in life. Further, Aristotle began to tutor Alexander when he was 14 or 15, which is hardly "young" by the standards of the time, nor is it too young to teach receptive students in our time.
Aristotle said that it was a waste of time to teach political science to people who were swayed by passion, and ignorant of the actions that occur in life. I think that's accurate.
I wonder whether Aristotle thought that Alexander was a great ruler, at the end of his life. Do you think Alexander was a great ruler, or merely a great soldier? |
