How did Aristotle alter the course of Greek history?
There are numerous answers, and none can be complete here. One, yes, he trained Alexander the Great, who had respect for his teacher. Aristotle also set up a rival school of thought to Platonism. Since Aristotle was nearer the end of the classical era, his influence was mainly felt in the Hellenistic world where the Peripatetics (his followers) and Lyceum (his school) enjoyed some popularity. He effectively brought Plato’s transcendent world of “forms” down to earth. By doing so, the focus was shifted a bit to more science (Medicine, etc.). His entire works, from Politics to Ethics stated radical things that was influential in certain areas down to the Enlightenment, when many tried to purge Aristotelianism’s influence in the world of thought. The two great landmarks of Greek Philosophy (though perhaps that is unfair) are Plato and Aristotle. Plato embodied transcendence/immaterialism (at least for his Forms) and Aristotle embraced materialism, the four causes, etc. Balance was importa
