Politics and Poetics

by Aristotle

Book by Aristotle

Genres: Philosophy, Classics, Nonfiction, Politics, Literary Criticism

265 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1952

About the author

Aristotle (Greek: Αριστοτέλης; 384–322 BC) was an Ancient Greek philosopher and polymath. His writings cover a broad range of subjects spanning the natural sciences, philosophy, linguistics, economics, politics, psychology, and the arts. As the founder of the Peripatetic school of philosophy in the Lyceum in Athens, he began the wider Aristotelian tradition that followed, which set the groundwork for the development of modern science.
Little is known about Aristotle's life. He was born in the city of Stagira in northern Greece during the Classical period. His father, Nicomachus, died when Aristotle was a child, and he was brought up by a guardian. At 17 or 18, he joined Plato's Academy in Athens and remained there until the age of 37 (c. 347 BC). Shortly after Plato died, Aristotle left Athens and, at the request of Philip II of Macedon, tutored his son Alexander the Great beginning in 343 BC. He established a library in the Lyceum, which helped him to produce many of his hundreds of books on papyrus scrolls.
Though Aristotle wrote many treatises and dialogues for publication, only around a third of his original output has survived, none of it intended for publication. Aristotle provided a complex synthesis of the various philosophies existing prior to him. His teachings and methods of inquiry have had a significant impact across the world, and remain a subject of contemporary philosophical discussion.
Aristotle's views profoundly shaped medieval scholarship. The influence of his physical science extended from late antiquity and the Early Middle Ages into the Renaissance, and was not replaced systematically until the Enlightenment and theories such as classical mechanics were developed. He influenced Judeo-Islamic philosophies during the Middle Ages, as well as Christian theology, especially the Neoplatonism of the Early Church and the scholastic tradition of the Catholic Church.
Aristotle was revered among medieval Muslim scholars as "The First Teacher", and among medieval Christians like Thomas Aquinas as simply "The Philosopher", while the poet Dante Alighieri called him "the master of those who know". His works contain the earliest known formal study of logic, and were studied by medieval scholars such as Pierre Abélard and Jean Buridan. Aristotle's influence on logic continued well into the 19th century. In addition, his ethics, although always influential, gained renewed interest with the modern advent of virtue ethics.

Reviews

[Chris Dietzel · Rating 3 out of 5]

In terms of the great Greek philosopher lineage (Socrates >> Plato >> Aristotle) my order of preference would be:
3. Aristotle,
2. Socrates,
1. Plato.
In much of 'Politics' he is more of a sociologist, political scientist, and historian than he is a philosopher. He also talks in specifics rather than generalities, as Plato and Socrates did. That would usually be a good thing for me. However, in his case the specifics he talks to are at best outdated and do not hold up well to modern thought, and at worst are extremely sexist and immoral. I can still appreciate his outlook but I much prefer Socrates' line of thinking and Plato's philosophy of the world than I do Aristotle's record-keeping on political matters of the day.

[Guy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a powerful and life changing read. Somehow it manages to instill a deep and broad understanding of the dynamics and structure of society, social order, and people. My reading it was one of the key elements in fully understanding just how perniciously misleading is the media with its agendae of social management by fostering and planting ignorance of history. There is nothing new! One of those books on my 'must read' list for those interesting in understanding and challenging the naked emperors running (and ruining) society.

[Don · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's amazing how relevant for today Aristotle's words are! He put's his finger on some of the key threats to democracy, and they seem right in as regards current events. Not the most exciting read, but incredible insights into the nature of government, the people being governed, and the relationship among the two. This was mostly in the Politics; I didn't find Poetics as cutting edge.

[cody b johnson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I gave these works of Aristotle a four star rating based entirely on the politics book and not the poetics book. The poetics is probably quite useful to a person interested in writing any type of literature or work of drama for stage or screen but my knowledge of something like that is extremely limited at best. I wasn't going to remove a star on the review because I'm not subject matter expert on poetry. The politics is a read that can be enjoyed by anyone with any interest in the basis of western philosophy and government. Aristotle did believe some people were born to be slaves and that "silence is a woman's glory" but aside from those types of points, you can see how government and the human condition really hasn't changed much over thousands of years. I had a tough time setting this one down.

[Erik Graff · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this for Humanities 101 during my first semester at Grinnell College. While most of the Politics escapes me after all of these years, the Poetics remains fresh to mind for two reasons. First, it was relevant. In high school I'd read all of Sophocles and earlier in this humanities course I'd read Aeschylus' Oresteia and a little Euripides. What Aristotle was addressing was familiar. Second, I read it en route by bus to Washington, D.C. for the great Moratorium march against the war in Vietnam.

[Geoff Steele · Rating 2 out of 5]

politics section-good background. Good insight into political nature of Greeks, and astute observations of human nature, how mankind organizes socities. Nice to read what founding fathers studied and improved upon.

[Mary Kelly · Rating 2 out of 5]

The Politics improve if you interpret Aristocracy as a representative democracy and looking at his definition there is not much difference. The Poetics is where the beauty is, the points and examples are timeless.

[Myra · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book broke my brain but taught me how to think!

[Natalie · Rating 1 out of 5]

Huh..........................