In The Metaphysics , Aristotle laid the foundations for one of the central branches of Western philosophy. Aristotle was always passionately interested in natural phenomena. Yet when he joined Plato's Academy as a 17-year-old in the mid-360s BC, he was taught the 'idealist' doctrine that what we perceive is just a pale reflection of the true reality. After a sharp reaction against Platonism, he achieved...