A pupil of Plato, Aristotle was to become as influential as his tutor in defining the shape of western philosophy. Like Plato, Aristotle’s main concern was to explore the question of how one should live in this world. However, Aristotle’s discussion of this question takes place against a rather different understanding of reality. For Plato, this world of impressions is juxtaposed with the ‘real’ World of Ideas or Forms. In his writings, Aristotle gives this distinction a decidedly ‘this-worldly’ focus. While maintaining the platonic distinction between ‘form’ (or ideas) and ‘matter’, Aristotle argues that this distinction is to be found in this world.