Aristotle
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A likely impossibility is always preferable to an unconvincing possibility. The story should never be made up of improbable incidents; there should be nothing of the sort in it.
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Aristotle was a Greek philosopher, a student of Plato's, and the second Greek philosopher from whom we have complete works. He was the first philosopher to write treatises addressing the subjects of his philosophy directly; Plato had been rather more indirect, preferring to write dialogues involving Socrates instead. Aristotle was also the first philosopher to attempt a complete survey of human knowledge (except for mathematics), making him an Omnidisciplinary Scientist.
He also served as tutor to Alexander the Great, after differences with Plato and his Academy led him to leave Athens.
Of particular note to tropers is that he wrote the Poetics, studying tragic plays, and many tropes were first diagnosed by him.
Works of Aristotle which have their own pages:
Aristotle provides examples of the following tropes:
- Beige Prose: Compared to Plato, Aristotle's stuff is very dry and difficult to read. This is partially because most of his finished works were lost after the Fall of Rome, and what we have available today is essentially his lecture notes. However, many people find that the simplicity of Aristotle's words make his works delightful reads. Cicero described Aristotle's literary style as being "a river of gold."
- I Just Want to Have Friends
- Take a Third Option / Golden Mean Fallacy: Aristotle believed that every virtue represented a sensible third position between two equally bad extremes. For example, in conversation, say too little and you'll be considered shy, say too much and you'll bore everyone else. "Wit", therefore, is the virtue of saying just the right amount.