Socrates' idea of philosphy was to question what is, and try to search for a higher power. He was always seeking for something more in life than what we just see. He even established that the things we see are only mere reflections of what really is (the Forms.) However, his student took a different approach to philosophy. Instead of searching for something beyond what is, Aristotle focused on analyzing and explaining what is.
Aristotle's approach is one of practicality. He dismisses Socrates' theory of the forms by stating that while the forms are "evidently..something which cannot be realized in action or attained by man" "the good which we are now seeking must be attainable." Aristotle is mainly focused on ideas that can be applied to life - to things that rationally make sense and have a purpose in our lives. What does it matter if there is some great almighty form of the good if we can never ever attain it, or see anything like it? It is this practicality that makes Aristotle more convincing and "easier to read." While Socrates makes great literature, his ideas are not as rooted in rational thought.
The Republic of Plato puts our minds in the clouds - thinking beyond, and outside of ourselves - it gives us a new freedom of thought. While Aristotle brings us back down to reality, still questioning what is - but in a more restrained way.
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