I think it is time for another visit with my friend Aristotle. Many people ignorantly believe that the ancient philosophers are irrelevant and unreadable. I will admit that if you tried to read some of the original text from them, it is a challenge kind of like reading Shakespeare’s Old English.

In that regard, I am once again somewhat unique. I enjoy reading Shakespeare and trying to discern today’s meaning to his words. Of course, the ancient philosopher’s were for the most part Greek, and for me, trying to read Greek is “trying to read Greek”, so I leave that up to others. The quote below from a book by Morimer Jerome Adler. He is perhaps one of the best interpreters of Aristotle.

Aristotle coined man’s three dimensions which set us apart from the other animals of the world. They simply are: making, doing, and knowing.

Aristotle was very much concerned with the differences that distinguish these three kinds of thinking. He used the term “productive thinking” to describe the kind of thinking that man engages in as a maker; “practical thinking” to describe the kind that he engages in as a doer; and “speculative” or “theoretical thinking” to describe the kind he engages in as a knower.

Adler, Mortimer Jerome . Aristotle for Everybody (pp. 17-18). Touchstone. Kindle Edition.

Let’s look a little about these three types of thinking.

Productive Thinking (maker)

This includes the artist or artisan who produces all sorts of things including: books, music, painting, houses, shoes, and a myriad of others. Anything in the world that is not natural is made by a “maker”

Practical Thinking (doer)

This is man, the moral or social being, who can do right or wrong. He/she is a doer. They are trying to achieve happiness to one degree or another. They associate with other human beings to accomplish what they want, or feel compelled to do.

Speculative/Theoretical Thinking (knower)

This type of thinking man is a learner who acquires all sorts of knowledge about nature, society (how we interact with one another) and about knowledge itself.

---

Of course, almost all of us are all three of these kinds of thinkers. It is the percentage of each that makes us unique from one another. I like to think of myself as predominately in the third classification.

All of these types of thinking were front and center in most of Aristotle’s books. Keeping that in mind makes it easier to read the english version of his works.

Mr. Adlers book as cited above goes deeply into all three of this types of thinking

---

In a near future posts I will be expanding this thought to include the four questions/causes that Aristotle thought should be asked about anything that we think in each of these three realms.

Think For Yourself, Question Everything, Never Stop Learning