Historians denounce Chinese scholar's claim that denied Aristotle's existence

Aristotle's assertion that "education is bitter but its fruit is sweet" has found its learners since centuries. But a nationalistic Chinese scholar has stoked a debate on Greek polymath's existence in the first place, an argument denounced by mainstream historians.

Jin Canrong, a leading expert on China-US relations at Renmin University in Beijing and an adviser to the Chinese government, questioned the reliability of western history and claimed Aristotle did not exist at all.

Jin's contention is that there exists no written evidence predating the 13th century to substantiate the existence of Aristotle.

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He asserted that, if Aristotle did exist over two millennia ago, it would have been improbable for him to pen hundreds of books encompassing millions of words given the absence of paper in Europe until the 11th century.

“Aristotle just popped up, and what made it more suspicious was that he seems to have an all-encompassing body of knowledge, ranging from optics and ethics to economics and politics,” he said in a video which went viral on Douyin, the Chinese version of TikTok.

Why Jin's argument is being denounced?

Mainstream historians have criticised Jin's argument, calling it superficial and flawed.

“There is copious evidence of philosophers engaging with Aristotle’s ideas and even quoting his texts as early as the 3rd century [BC],” Jeremy McInerney, professor of classical studies at the University of Pennsylvania, was quoted as saying by the South China Morning Post.

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Aristotle, born in 384 BC in ancient Greece, is renowned as one of the most influential figures in the birthplace of democracy and Western civilisation, the ancient Greece. His extensive works, ranging from natural sciences to philosophy, economics, and politics, number hundreds of books.

His philosophical legacy laid the groundwork for modern science. His most important treatises include Physics, Metaphysics, Nicomachean Ethics, Politics, On the Soul and Poetics. Aristotle He famously stated that "man is by nature a political animal" and argued that humanity's defining factor among others in the animal kingdom is its rationality.