CHAPTER 1 ARISTOTLE he ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle one of the greatest thinkers of all time wrote the world s first meteorological trea tise Meteorologica in the 4th century BC Meteorologica remained the standard work on the subject for 2 000 years Born in 384 BC in Stagira on the north west coast of the Aegean Sea Aristotle was the son of the physician who tended to the king of Macedonia As such the boy spent plenty of time at court At 17 Aristotle enrolled at the famous Academy directed by the philosopher Plato Aristotle threw himself wholeheartedly into Plato's pursuit of truth and good ness Plato was soon calling him the mind of the school Aristotle stayed at the Academy for 20 years leaving only when his beloved master died in 347 BC In later years he renounced some of Plato's theo ries and went far beyond him in breadth of knowledge I2
ARISTOTLE A statue of the philosopher Aristotle in his Grecian birthplace His Meteorologica set the standard in meteorology for 2 000 years Panos Karapanagiotis Shutterstock com 13
PIONEERS IN THE WORLD OF WEATHER AND CLIMATOLOGY After leaving the Academy Aristotle taught school on the coast of Asia Minor and spent two years studying marine biol ogy on the Greek island of Lesbos In 342 BC he returned to Macedonia at the invita tion of Philip II to teach the king s young son Alexander who would later become Alexander the Great No one knows how much influence the philosopher had on the headstrong youth but after he became king Alexander gave Aristotle enough money to set up a school in Athens The school in the Lyceum was a success Aristotle called his school the Peripatetic to walk about because morning discus sions with his more advanced students were conducted as the group walked in the Lyceum gardens While teaching there Aristotle was able to collect the first great library and establish a museum He led his pupils in research in every existing field of knowledge Meteorology was studied as part of his investigation of physics As Aristotle understood it phys ics was the equivalent to what would now be called natural philosophy or the study of nature The science of observation was new to the Greeks however Hampered by 14
ARISTOTLE lack of instruments they were not always correct in their conclusions Aristotle was a victimofpolitical maneu vering in 323 BC when Anti Macedonian feeling broke out in Athens Accused of impiety meaning he lacked the proper respect for Athenians attitudes and teach ings Aristotle decided to leave He was concerned that the Athenians might pun ish him by killing him as they had the philosopher Socrates He fled to Chalcis on the island of Euboea where he died the following year 15
