The Basic Works of Aristotle

by Aristotle, Richard Peter McKeon (Editor)
The Basic Works of Aristotle
book data
142 ratings, 4.03 average rating, 11 reviews (more data...)
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published
September 11th 2001 by Modern Library (first published 1941)

details
Paperback, 1520 pages

isbn
0375757996    (isbn13: 9780375757990)

description
Preserved by Arabic mathematicians and canonized by Christian scholars, Aristotle's works have shaped Western thought, science and religion for nearly…more


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other reviews (showing 1-20 of 267)

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Russell
Jan 10, 2009
Russell rated it: 5 of 5 stars

Read in December, 2008
I only read Ethics and Politics from this book. If you want to understand Western thought, read him, Plato and Socrates. Aristotle is the least exciting to read out of the three (some would uncharitably call him 'boring'), but where Socrates set the stage, Plato started the ball rolling, Aristotle hammered out details like only a scientist can, and with as much charm as a white paper. I don't give this a 5 stars because it had me on the edge of my seat, entertained until the last word, but rathe...more
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Peter Namtvedt
Feb 22, 2009
Peter Namtvedt rated it: 5 of 5 stars

Read in March, 2009
recommends it for: serious philosophy students
Reading this has made it clear that Aristotle is the father of Western Civilization. He gave us the science of logic and the seeds of the correct epistemology in his conceptualist views. It took some revision first by Abelard and finally by Ayn Rand to develop these seeds.

His vision was so clear of a world that is knowable, though not necessarily directly by the mind and the senses, but in principle, by the creation of tools for observation at both closer and farther distances.
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Styer
Aug 02, 2009
Styer rated it: 5 of 5 stars

Still the best...

I call Aristotle "belligerently" precise, and though not an easy read, he's extremely straightforward. Not a wasted word or sentence, and each sentence depends on reading the prior. Great way to think about things.
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Erik
Dec 14, 2009
Erik marked it as to-read

Recommended by James Schall in Another Sort of Learning, Bibliography.
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Books And
Jul 20, 2009
Books And added it

bookshelves: poetry-and-literature
vintage
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Stephanie
Feb 14, 2008
Stephanie rated it: 2 of 5 stars

recommends it for: only crazy people.
ugh. reading aristotle is like wading through mud. this book i recommend only to the die-hard philosopher, especially someone who's into aristotle. there is no (or, virtually no) commentary, so a background in aristotle and greek political systems is a bonus. i read "politics" books one and two, "poetics," and parts of nicomachean ethics. all from this edition. generally, i prefer modern library editions. for this i'd say "pass."
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Gwen Burrow
Oct 21, 2009
Gwen Burrow added it

bookshelves: philosophy
Read in November, 2009
Read sections. At least "Ethics" made sense.
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Tim
Sep 07, 2008
Tim is currently reading it

bookshelves: currently-reading
It’s slow going through dense stuff, but Jonathan Lear (Aristotle: The Desire to Understand) is a good guide. The Oxford translation's been updated since this 1930s version, but unfortunately there's no fat, cheap one volume edition of it. But Lear's a good guide there too, critiquing both translations and explaining key terms and concepts.
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Zac
Mar 19, 2008
Zac rated it: 3 of 5 stars

bookshelves: philosophy
Read in February, 2008
recommends it for: This interested in history of philosophy
Compared to Schopenhauer, whom I was reading concurrently with much of this, Aristotle is a bore. More a scientist than a philosopher.
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Jeremy
Jan 19, 2008
Jeremy rated it: 5 of 5 stars

He invented practical reason theorizing.
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Joel Barnes
May 16, 2007
Joel Barnes rated it: 4 of 5 stars

bookshelves: college
aristotle>plato
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Robert Sinclaire
Mar 10, 2010
Robert Sinclaire marked it as to-read


Dan
Mar 06, 2010
Dan marked it as to-read

bookshelves: to-read

Carl Hostetter
Mar 05, 2010
Carl Hostetter marked it as to-read

bookshelves: to-read

Skannd
Mar 05, 2010
Skannd rated it: 5 of 5 stars


Vika
Mar 04, 2010
Vika rated it: 4 of 5 stars


Sunpie5186
Mar 02, 2010
Sunpie5186 rated it: 5 of 5 stars


Biff
Mar 02, 2010
Biff rated it: 5 of 5 stars


Christian
Feb 24, 2010
Christian rated it: 3 of 5 stars

bookshelves: currently-reading, tellico

Eric
Feb 23, 2010
Eric added it

bookshelves: non-fiction



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The Nicomachean Ethics
Poetics
Politics (Thrift Edition)
Metaphysics
The Art of Rhetoric

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