What do you think?
Rate this book
Aristotle: Selections
A tour de force of scholarship and the art of translation, this volume includes a fully integrated set of translations by a single team, a feature enabling Greekless readers to read widely and deeply in Aristotle with continuity, appreciation for his use of technical terminology and for the structure of his philosophy as a whole. Building on this advantage is the most detailed glossary in any student edition, one which offers unparalleled definition and explication of Aristotle's terminology and makes clear the correspondence between Greek terms and their renderings. The editors' extensive notes, also co-ordinated with the glossary, suggest alternative translations of problematic passages, discuss Aristotles argument, and elucidate difficult passages.
627 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1955
30 people are currently reading
429 people want to read
About the author
Aristotle
4,332 books5,552 followersAristotle (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.
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.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
Read
October 21, 2024bro sure has a lot to say
August 6, 2023
tired of this man
May 4, 2014
I'm more of a Plato fan, but it was pleasure reading Aristotle.
November 25, 2017
Everybody should read Aristotle and this is an excellent summation of his crucial works. The commentary the editors provide is helpful. Good for the serious and the curious.
February 11, 2025
Even though I don't care much for Aristotle's philosophy. This edition is excellent for getting an understanding of Aristotle through the primary texts, especially with the footnotes and glossary.
February 12, 2017
Compared to THE Complete Works of Aristotle by JONATHAN BARNES, Irwin & Fine's translations are somewhat more opaque, and one would get confused more easily. Here is an example:
Physics 190a22
Irwin & Fine
"We say that something comes to be F from being G, but not that the G comes to be F, more often in cases where G does not remain; for instance, we say that a man comes to be musical from being unmusical, but not that the unmusical comes to be musical from a man."
Barnes:
"We speak of ‘becoming that from this’ instead of ‘this becoming that’ more in the case of what does not survive the change—’becoming musical from unmusical’, not ‘from man’ "
Judge for yourselves which one makes better sense.
Also, many important sections are not included in the book, and you will be informed of this omission by this '*********************************' at the end of a passage; many of these omissions are in fact very important for explication of Aristotle's argument.
Still, you might consider this book for its exquisite Glossary.
TL:DR Read J.Barnes' translation together with this translation to save yourselves some hair-pulling.
Physics 190a22
Irwin & Fine
"We say that something comes to be F from being G, but not that the G comes to be F, more often in cases where G does not remain; for instance, we say that a man comes to be musical from being unmusical, but not that the unmusical comes to be musical from a man."
Barnes:
"We speak of ‘becoming that from this’ instead of ‘this becoming that’ more in the case of what does not survive the change—’becoming musical from unmusical’, not ‘from man’ "
Judge for yourselves which one makes better sense.
Also, many important sections are not included in the book, and you will be informed of this omission by this '*********************************' at the end of a passage; many of these omissions are in fact very important for explication of Aristotle's argument.
Still, you might consider this book for its exquisite Glossary.
TL:DR Read J.Barnes' translation together with this translation to save yourselves some hair-pulling.
June 18, 2013
Three reasons I love this book:
1. The translations take a middle road between a word for word translation of Aristotle's Greek and a more fluent but less accurate rendering in English prose. Where the translators have supplemented the Greek to make the English more readable, the additions are placed in brackets . Though sometimes I found the bracketed text unnecessary, it rarely interfered with my reading.
2. The explanatory notes provided are in many cases enlightening and in some cases they were indispensable to my easily grasping what Aristotle is saying, or might be saying--as the notes are often careful to distinguish.
3. This book extracts sections from Aristotle's works judged by scholars to be the most important and influential parts of his various works. In addition, helpful subject headings are discreetly inserted throughout nearly every page of the book between the different sections of a selection.
This is a great resource for the student of Aristotle or for anyone wanting to dig into his writing.
1. The translations take a middle road between a word for word translation of Aristotle's Greek and a more fluent but less accurate rendering in English prose. Where the translators have supplemented the Greek to make the English more readable, the additions are placed in brackets . Though sometimes I found the bracketed text unnecessary, it rarely interfered with my reading.
2. The explanatory notes provided are in many cases enlightening and in some cases they were indispensable to my easily grasping what Aristotle is saying, or might be saying--as the notes are often careful to distinguish.
3. This book extracts sections from Aristotle's works judged by scholars to be the most important and influential parts of his various works. In addition, helpful subject headings are discreetly inserted throughout nearly every page of the book between the different sections of a selection.
This is a great resource for the student of Aristotle or for anyone wanting to dig into his writing.
February 18, 2017
This is probably the only readable translation there is. Although Aristotle himself wrote beautifully, all that has come down to us are writings that are probably the lecture notes his students wrote. So it's pretty hard to follow.
This translation, however, makes the best of it, and it has informative footnotes as well as a comprehensive and detailed glossary. All around this is the book to get if you want to read Aristotle.
In the UPenn MOOC that I took, we read Selections from: the Categories, Physics, De Anima, Metaphysics, Ethics, Nicomachean Ethics
This translation, however, makes the best of it, and it has informative footnotes as well as a comprehensive and detailed glossary. All around this is the book to get if you want to read Aristotle.
In the UPenn MOOC that I took, we read Selections from: the Categories, Physics, De Anima, Metaphysics, Ethics, Nicomachean Ethics
March 6, 2008
now, i'm relatively new to studying philosophy (i've just recently majored in it), and i'm especially new to studying aristotle, so i can't really give any comments on the translation. however, there's TONS of footnotes and a very illuminating glossary of words that provide both discussions on what a certain word might mean, as well as alternative translations that might illuminate a certain passage. tying this book with the cambridge companion on aristotle is highly recommended.
August 16, 2013
A solid treatment of Aristotle's most important works, covering more material than most introductory texts (e.g. Categories, Prior and Posterior Analytics, De Interpretatione, Topics, and many others, including all of Aristotle's most famous books). Well annotated and with a useful glossary included. This was the text for my class on Aristotle in university, and I was very much satisfied with it.
August 13, 2015
Very good if you can get past his interrupted/unfinished train of thought. Disagreed with some of his ideas but still very interesting. Need to chisel away at it more when I'm a more patient kind of person.
September 13, 2007
Besides the fact that the authors have made a few mis-translations from the original greek text, this is actually one of the best english translations i have read to date.
June 6, 2011
Having gone through his system I will give Aristotle his credit (though I will always remain faithful to Plato) - he did seem to wrap up the world pretty successfully.
April 7, 2016
Good collection of all works
Good primary source to cite (w becker #s)
Good primary source to cite (w becker #s)
February 16, 2022
For graduate ancient philosophy. Good collection with decent translation.
April 17, 2025
the editing is very well done and their commentary is very helpful in understanding wtf aristotle is talking about. i am just not a fan of most of aristotle’s work i fear
Read
December 9, 2010I've read through the Physics, the Metaphysics, De Anima, Nichomachean Ethics, and the Politics.
Want to read
April 29, 2023Review of The Nicomachean Ethics
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews